Age of Life
by Joei Write
Summary: With the darkness gone, and the evil vanquished, the inhabitants of the realms can finally settle down and live their lives. Spyro and Cynder may still have work to do, but they know they'll have a family someday along with everyone else. However, the Guardians are having trouble adjusting to the new world, and they're not sure if they could ever have families of their own.
1. Start of Something

**Before you begin to read this story, ask yourself this question, for it's the same thing that inspired me to make this story.**

**Why aren't there any love stories that contain lemons, purely for the sake of love? They always go overboard and blow or suck on each other and just flat out make me sick. Are there any good, clean, heartfelt love scenes in these archives?**

**Well, my answer is…not that I've ever seen. Each one I've ever come across always makes me throw up a little because of the actions they do and the way in which they do it. Especially when it comes to The Guardians, they always seem to be gay towards each other. I'm not trying to say these authors that create these stories are idiots, but I just wished there was some straight, full heart lemons here. And so the idea was founded, and this story was made. Enjoy, remember, everything here is straight, clean as possible, and was made purely as a one of a kind story.**

Age of Life

By MyWayWriter (a.k.a. Joei)

Chapter 1

Start of Something

"The Council recognizes the voice of Spyro…" Said Terrador in his deep, earth-bound voice; the entire room Spyro and Cynder stood in was filled with moles, dragons, and cheetahs up to the brim. The whole room was shaped like an amphitheater, but with a closed roof, four windows in a cross shape along the sides of the very top walls, and seats lining the circular shape of the high. The Guardians sat at the very top near the new mole governor of Warfang and were discussing plans for the future of the city, and for the realm.

"Thank you Terrador…" Spyro said and stepped out onto the open area where everyone in the circular room could see him. "I know that many of us have lost friends, family, and loves during this struggle with Malefor, but Cynder and I have witnessed firsthand his defeat, and we can both assure you he is gone. In this act, I hope we all can simply move forward, and actually live our lives. We can start families, raise children, and help cultivate new lands for a prosperous future. Some of us, including myself, will surely have a hard time letting go of what has happened, for the scars of this war will remain with us forever. But what we forget is scars heal with time, though they may never fade away, after a time we forget about them, and focus our efforts on something bigger than ourselves. It's then, and only then, that we as living beings, dragon, cheetah, or mole alike, can finally come together and see the real battle, not in the field with bloodshed and death, but within our own walls and home, trying to make the realm better, one piece at a time."

"We acknowledge your claim young dragon…" The governor said to Spyro after his monologue, "But what of those who survived? How will they comply?"

"That's exactly it sir…they survived. That's gives them the freedom, the privilege, to explore and live in this pure new world. I was lucky to have survived myself, and so is Cynder…" He said looking back to her, and she smiled. After their small glances of acceptance, Spyro turned back around and continued, "We now have the right to be who we are, and move forward in the same direction."

"And where do you plan on going?" Cyril asked.

"I'm the Purple Dragon…my work shall never be done. It's my job to remain the peace-keeper of the world, and allow it harmony." Spyro said up to the Ice Guardian.

"But was it not you who just said to settled down and enjoy life?" The governor said down to the young dragon.

"This is what all of you should do…I personally still have much I need to do. But luckily for me, I've got the two best companions in all of the realms to help me through them." With that, Cynder walked out to Spyro's side and stood there, proud and strong. Sparx also flew in and hovered next to Spyro's head. "This is what I ask of you…" He said to the Council after he acknowledged the presences of his love, and his best friend beside him. "All of you must keep the motion of the world going, stay strong, and do your job by training the next generation. I have nothing more to say…farewell." Spyro concluded and turned around and walked out of the building with Cynder and Sparx.

Following his exit, the entire audience of his speech began to talk amongst themselves. Some agreed, while others debated whether the struggle was truly over. It was a few minutes before anyone spoke out, and that someone was Cyril. "Perhaps the young one speaks the truth…" And everyone was silenced and listened to the Guardian, who hadn't moved and still remained in his spot in the high rows. "Maybe the time has finally come for us to lay down our arms and keep pace with the world and the way it was meant to be. The natality rate of this city has drastically declined in the past three years, most likely out of fear. The next generation must be born before it's taught, and I mean this in the most professional way…but we as adults are the ones responsible for this. Should we give up this, and the fear of death will only further plague the minds of civilians who refused to bring a child into this world." Everyone was nodding their heads, and Terrador spoke next.

"I agree will you old friend, but what is one to do when fighting and war is all they know? They'd feel left out, misplaced even, and have no intentions of settling down and starting a family." Volteer listened to everyone, and finally spoke in turn.

"I say we must make them see the dark times have passed. For as we all know, with each new age, a new Chronicler is chosen to record the triumphs and failures of that new age. If what Spyro spoke is true, let us ensure that peace, joy, and laughter are all this new Chronicler has to write down in the books. Any act of violent shall be dealt with as a guard, not as a punishment. As we all know what happens when punishments get to a young one's head." Volteer was referring to when the Council banished Malefor as a punishment for his refusal to stop fueling his power.

"It's decided…from now on…" The governor began, "The next generation shall be a peaceful one, and every crime or harsh act will be acted upon in a tender manner, and no punishments will be given as a form of torment. All in favor of this notion please qualify by saying 'Aye'…" And the entire room rose with members raising their hands and the sound of the word 'Aye' echoed throughout the world chamber.

"Aye…" Said Cyril,

"Aye…" Said Terrador,

"And aye as well…" Volteer stuttered out.

"It's decided then…" And this was the last thing the governor said. The decision was made and the Council was dismissed.

Outside, Spyro, Cynder and Sparx awaited the arrival of the Guardians from the meeting, hoping in his words, he spoke truth and that they listened to him. It was a bright day in the new world; no one was panicking, screaming, or fighting another person. Spyro looked around and felt at ease, for the hard part of his life was over, and the exciting part, filled with love, growth, and comfort was on the way.

"Seems that our job isn't over…" He said to his two others. "Where should we start?"

"I think we should get something to eat! I'm so hungry I could eat those butterflies from the bog again, even though they make me belch." Sparx hadn't changed, even after his near death experience. Yet, through it all, no one wanted Sparx to.

"Oh Sparx…" Spyro said and shook his head with a smile, he then turned to Cynder, "What do you think?" But she was looking up at the blue sky, and Spyro looked to see what she was looking at. As he looked in the same direction as her, he noticed a mother dragon and two hatchlings flying together. The hatchlings looked very young, this must've been the first time they flew, and their mother was right there with them.

"There's only two…" Cynder spoke softly, "They must have been the only ones who hatched from their clutch. That's so sad…thinking, four or five young dragons, who broke their mother and father's hearts without even being born. Motionless eggs that'll never move again and all because of what…? Fear…" Spyro walked over to Cynder's side and laid down next to her, wrapping his tail around hers and placing one of his forefeet on hers, and making her turn her head towards his.

"Don't worry, I know that isn't going to happen anymore. Everyone will have a full nest…even us one day…" He said with his heart on his sleeve, and Cynder smiled and leaned her head, and they kissed, only for a brief moment, but a kiss is still a kiss. Sparx saw and smiled, but covered his eyes nonetheless.

The sound of the creaking doors behind them alerted them to someone coming from inside. Spyro and Cynder stood up and turned around to see the three guardians walking into the sunlight. Terrador came forth, "We've approved of your plan Spyro, they've decided to act as you've instructed. Violence will be dealt with calmly and carefully, and the next generation shall be trained accordingly and with care."

Spyro and Cynder smiled, and Sparx flew over near Spyro's head and just stayed there, waiting for the pristine moment to speak. Spyro himself, however, looked to the Guardians as if they had missed his point. "Terrador…you don't understand." Spyro said to them, and each of them looked confused. "I was directing this path to the three of you. The war is over, your jobs as generals and leaders are no longer required. If this world is going to share in peace, everyone must be at ease, especially the three of you."

"But what about you Spyro…?" Volteer chimed in, "You said it yourself, the work of a Purple Dragon is never finished. How can you be at ease? How can you settle down and start a family?" This only made Spyro, Cynder, and Sparx laugh, but it seemed the Guardians took it seriously.

"Volteer…I'm only 13…I've got my whole life ahead of me. Yes, there will be many days I have no time to myself, but I know I'll make the time for family. I know I'll have one someday, and I would want the same for the three of you." Spyro was being sincere, Cynder was his love, his mate-to-be, and the one he'd have a family with in the future, but by dragon years, Spyro was still far too young to have to worry or even think about starting a family, even if he was lucky enough to find _the one_ at such an early age. Cynder knew this was true too, she also felt that starting a family now would be too sudden.

"Having children now…" Cynder started after Spyro, "It would only be a hassle for us. We want to explore, and enjoy our love first, then, when we're older and ready, there's no doubt you'll see eggs in our care."

"Of course…" Spyro looked at her and said, she was thinking exactly what he was, "But you three…" He continued and directed his attention back to the Guardians, "You three are adults, and all you've ever done your whole lives is train to fight. Haven't you ever wonder what it's like to wake up in the morning with another dragon next to you? One you can share everything with, and tell all your secrets too? And one who loves you like she's loved nothing else?" The Guardians searched their minds for what it might be like, but Cynder came through once more.

"Terrador…you've told us that you trained like an animal as long as you can remember. During that time…was there anyone who made you feel different inside? Someone that you felt you could lay down your life for?"

"I spent all my years in solitude training and fighting with my fellow Guardians, I never knew any other females but my Mother and some other students." Spyro noticed a main problem in Terrador's love history, and he held onto the thought. Cynder then seemed disappointed by Terrador's answer, but turned to Cyril.

"What about you Cyril? Has there been anyone?" She asked.

"Well…I'm afraid I must stand by most of what Terrador said, but I was constantly sent to the market to get goods as I was a fast flyer during my youth. There were always young females that made me turn my head, but I was forbidden to speak to them." Spyro then spotted Cyril's main problem. After that, Cynder turned to Volteer.

"And you…?"

"I had a Mother and Father, plus a sister I lived with before I went to the temple, but there just doesn't seem to be anyone like them anymore. I never sought love because I felt a female wouldn't show the same love and affection my family did." And that was Volteer's problem.

"I see now…" Spyro spoke up. "Terrador…the reason you can't find the will power to go and look for a mate is because all you know is fighting and teaching. You ate, breathed, and smelled battle growing up, therefore it left its mark on you." Volteer then remembered Terrador's comment back in the meeting.

"So you mean to tell me that you asked that question about war for your own sake?" Terrador sheepishly nodded his head, sort of embarrassed.

"Well…" Cynder started, "You need to run into a woman who has had a life of battle as well, but is still loose and playful enough to see the bright side of life." Spyro nodded in approval.

Sparx jumped in next, for he had also spotted Cyril's problem. "Hey Cyril…" And everyone looked at him, "I noticed that you said, 'in my youth', dude…come on…compared to most dragons around this city you're still young. If you think that you're old, you have another thing coming. And so what if you never had any practice speaking to the ladies? Take it from me watching Spyro talk to Cynder, they're not looking for a smooth talker or a real womanizer, they just want a good guy they know has a good heart." Spyro and Cynder looked to each other and stared into their eyes, Sparx was right, Spyro never tried to charm her once the whole time they'd known each other, and they still fell in love anyway. They nuzzled in realization of the statement, and then Sparx looked at Volteer. "And you…what's this about women not caring about you the way your sister and Mother did?"

The young couple stopped nuzzling and Spyro jumped in. "He's right, a dragon always seeks love and acceptance, but from what I'm hearing, you just seem to always fall for the wrong ones. And in doing this, you fail to give others a chance at the assumption they'll be the same way. Terrador…" He said and looked back to him, "You are closed minded, and you seem to fear intimacy. Cyril…" And he faced the Ice Guardian, "You have no confidence in yourself as an adult. I'm sure there's someone who'd love you no matter how old you are, after all, age is just a number." And Cynder finished it.

"And Volteer, you keep potential loves at arm's length out of fear of heartbreak. I was fortunate, I didn't have to have my heart broken before I met Spyro, but most dragons do have to struggle through bad relationships before finding the right one."

And Spyro cleaned it up, "You must branch out and take risks, or you'll never find the right female to be your mate."

With that, the three young ones leapt into the sky and hovered over the Guardians' heads. "We have to go check on the upper inhabitants of the city near the city square. We'll be back in a few hours." Cynder said and the three started to take off, but Terrador spoke up after just standing there and listening.

"I'll come with you, I need thinking time anyway." And the Earth Guardian took off with them while the other two walked back inside the Council hall.

Inside, Cyril accepted defeat, "He's right my friend…" He told to Volteer, "I have doubted myself and have been putting off relationships my whole life."

"And I have been assuming the worst from relationships before even trying them since my first day in the academy."

"Seems the Purple Dragon, though far younger than us, has wisdom beyond his years…" Cyril started,

"And now it's our time." Volteer finished.

"I have always wondered what it'd be like to raise a family." Cyril confessed.

"So have I…but we can't just go searching for mates; that would give the Guardians a bad image…" Volteer reminded him. But Cyril shook his head,

"If what Spyro said is true, love comes when you least expect it…we needn't go look for it, as it shall find us…whether we truly are ready or not."

Away with Spyro, Cynder, and Sparx, Terrador was flying silently behind them just heading towards the square thinking about everything he was told. _I've never been close to a woman before, this could mean I've grow a fear of them trying to get close to me. But if what Spyro said is true, and that I am close minded to the idea of a wife and children, why do I suddenly feel like it's my responsibility to protect and teach them? Even though my wife is non-existent, and my children are unborn? _The questions pondered in his mind, and his head pounded thinking about it, for it was a foreign subject to him. The thoughts carried him all the way to the city square in Upper Warfang, where the three dragons landed on the ground with their dragonfly companion.

**Like I said, why is there no solid love stories here? And how come lust is always at the root of these lemons? And why in Spyro's name are there so many GAY stories with the Guardians? I don't know the answer to any of these questions, but I hope to fix them with this story, any further question or ideas, PM me. This story will have multiple chapters, and contain more information into each Guardians' mental romance issues. For now, enjoy this story for what it is and I have one final request.**

**I'm looking for a beta reader into one of the lemons for this story, to tell me if it's the kind of lemon they'd want to see and one that's based on love, not pleasure. The selection will be random, but the reader must be able to review in detail and explain how they feel very well.**

**That's all for now…goodbye and good writing to all of you! Remember, any question or confusions, just ask!**


	2. Earth Bound

**Here's chapter 2, I realize chapter 1 was a bit boring, but the way I see it, without a set up to the plot, all love scenes would be pointless. Here, we find Terrador as the primary target of the chapter, why would that be? Read and see. So we've established that Terrador has a fear of intimacy, and is close minded to the idea of having a wife and making her bear his eggs, but perhaps there's a deeper issue in this problem of his. After all, all it takes is one good love to make a person happy and feel whole a whole life long.**

Age of Life

Chapter 2

Earth Bound

And so Terrador found himself following the young heroes to the city square where the moles and young dragons-in-training always had toy fights. Most of the time the fights were harmless and purely for fun, but one could never stop the occasional accident where someone got hurt or went too far with their attacks. Spyro and Cynder, along with Sparx, ran up to the back of the crowd and looked over the fight, it seemed like there was a small battle going on between two youngling dragons that seemed to both have the power of earth. Sparx used his wings to climb over the heads of everyone else and saw the fight was between two young males. He observed that it was purely an offensive-defensive routine, and that everyone watching must've been their classmates.

Terrador moved through the street coming up behind the three, accepting gratitude and appreciation from everyone who walked by and acknowledged his contributions to the war. He stopped and looked down over the fight, and saw the flaws and strengths in every single one of their attacks and defends, as the Guardian of Earth, he would know better than anyone how to use his own element. Terrador noticed the passion for fighting in both of their eyes, and it made him feel good that there were such young and ambitious fighter looking to defend their home.

After a few minutes of watching the small conflict, the two students were worn out, and two more inexperienced combatants took their place and began. Spyro turned around and saw that Terrador was not doing anything except for watching the practice rounds with them, so he saw it as a chance for the Elder to move around a bit. "Um…Terrador…?" Spyro spoke up and the adult converted his attention to the dragon speaking to him, "Maybe we've spent enough time here…we should split up and check around. After all, a play fight can go wrong at any moment, and we can't just sit here all day and watch it in case it does. These students have good teachers, I'm sure they can handle it." Spyro then looked over to Cynder and motion for her to come with him, then he looked to Sparx, "Sparx, go up the street a little, check for anything. You shouldn't find anything though, but just in case…" Sparx got the message and flew out of sight up the city road and around the corner of a building. Spyro and Cynder ran in the opposite direction around the crowd watching the fights and left Terrador to himself.

As the two young dragons departed from their Guardian companion, Spyro stopped after he rounded the corner to the road he and Cynder had taken. Cynder was wondering why he stopped, but after Spyro peaked around the corner and saw Terrador hadn't moved, she grew suspicious. "Spyro…why are we leaving Terrador behind like that…?" She asked her lover, she knew Spyro might try something like this, he just never expected him to try so early.

"If we leave him alone for a while he might do some heavy thinking like he said he would. We figured out why he is concerned about his future, a wife, and eggs, but only he can figure why exactly he feels that way. A fear of relationships isn't normal; I'm just waiting to see if he actually does anything." Cynder wasn't entirely on board with this plan, but if she knew anything about her Spyro by this point, it's that he's very determined to accomplish something once he's decided to do it. With no point in trying to talk him out of it, Cynder just sat down next to Spyro and stared at Terrador with him, waiting for something.

The giant green dragon was still standing in place, not moving, just watching. The time only passed as the younglings took their turns to practice. Terrador looked over to the teacher instructing them; it was a female that looked to be an ice dragon by the mixture of blue and light yellow coating of her scales. He was quite a bit larger than her, but he only noticed her presence, and then brushed it off. He watched the next two students come forth, but this time, the situation was a bit different than the previous ones. It was a male dragon, clearly Earth by his jade colored scales, and a female, probably Fire by the blinding shimmer of her white scales. He watched her throw the first strike, which was nothing but a small fire ball throw, to which he flapped his wings while remaining on the ground and kicking up his front legs, and a wall of stone quickly rose from the ground and took the impact for him. Afterwards, he flipped around and kicked the stone wall forward with his back legs and the female simple barrel rolled out of the way, and did a flame charge while still on the floor. She let her body slide across the ground while burning the upper part of her body, but only slightly, clearly she hadn't mastered the move yet, and was unfit to use it. When the male saw this, he ran right to her and yelled at her to stop. She followed his command and she looked at herself, the scales covering her torso, forelegs and so far as she could see, her snout, was slightly charred, and she welled up tears.

"No…it's okay…don't cry…" The young male tried to say.

"Why shouldn't I…?" The girl whimpered back. "I've been trying that move for weeks and I haven't even gotten close. At this rate, we'll never be in the same class." But the male smiled and spoke sweetly.

"That's why I was the one who volunteered to be your opponent. I knew you were having trouble, so I thought I go easy on you and cut you some slack. After all, I wouldn't want my girlfriend being left back while I move up. We move forward together, or not at all."

Terrador was struck by surprise by the Earth dragon's actions. No one he knew ever treated him that way in school, especially when it came to proving who was the best of the best. In his experience, you do what you must to stay alive and be strong, even if it meant leaving those behind whom you cared about. It was a powerful notion to him, so he turned away and walked down the street behind him, but as he took one last look back at the situation, all he saw was the two young dragons hugging, and the female had tears in her eyes. Shaking his head from side to side he took one more step, but a voice stopped him. "Can't take a little romance?" He looked around to see where the voice came from. "Does it make you sick? Are you really made of stone that much?" He used his trained hearing to detect the voice from an alleyway, and as he walked towards the dark figure he was certain was the source of the voice, it stepped out into the light, revealing it to be a female Earth dragon. Emerald skin like his, ad dark brown horns; she was smaller than he was, having to tilt his head down about 45 degrees to look her in the eyes, but she wasted no time in closing the distance between them. She walked right up to him, and since he had stopped on the side walk, she smirked and raised her eyebrow. "We shouldn't talk here…come…" She said and moved back into the alley. Terrador was reluctant to follow her, but there was this small tug in his chest telling him to, so he did. He walked into the shadows of the alley and faced this woman that spoke to him.

"Who are you?" Terrador asked in a curious, not demanding voice.

"Who I am isn't important right now…Terrador…" She knew his name, this made Terrador flinch out of surprise, "But what is important is your reaction to what just happened there. He was just showing care for his girl, why does that make you feel disgusted?" She wasn't tender; she was very brush, almost as if she was trying to mentally push an answer from his mind.

"It doesn't disgust me; I just have no experience with courtship. I'm the Elder of Earth, or Guardian of Earth depending on who you are. But that doesn't matter, in light of recent events I've found out that, with the war being over, I've found myself wondering about the future. The ways of battle are what I grew up with, I know nothing else. And not more than a few hours ago, I was told by the Purple Dragon himself that I should consider settling down. My thoughts have been conflicting ever since, and my mind feels lost to try and imagine the way things would be if…" Terrador didn't finish his sentence; instead he just stopped, completely implying what he thought.

"You think you're the only one who knows nothing about family life? My Mother had to raise me without my Father; he died in a battle before I was even an egg. After that she taught me everything she knew about fighting, that way I could defend myself. I've personally longed for a chance to experience what it's like to feel someone next to you, but one thing my Mother told that I'll always remember is this…all you need is one good love in your life, and then whole be happy, your whole life long." She got calmer and more relaxed towards the end of her little speech, but after she was finished, she brushed past Terrador and walked out onto the side walk and began to walk away.

"Wait…!" He called to her, and she turned around. "Who are you…and how do you know my name? And why are you so interested in my personal life?" Now he was the one was demanding. But the dragoness only swayed her hips and said,

"Come to the library later tonight…ask for Zephra…" And she walked away without another word.

Terrador was dumbfounded; he felt he had been used by a lady with mind tricks and scams. He walked back to the center square as Spyro and Cynder ran back up to him, for they saw him walk over with the lady, but they hadn't heard a single bit of the conversation. "Oh Spyro, Cynder…"

"Terrador…does everything seem okay to you?" Spyro asked, trying to conceal his desire to ask about the mysterious dragoness who invited him to the library.

"Yes, nothing is wrong here in this section of the city. We should move onto the next portion." Terrador was pretending nothing was wrong, but his conscious was babbling away and eating through thoughts like a cheese grater. Spyro and Cynder flew off like nothing was wrong, but still held in their excitement for Terrador, whilst the Earth Guardian himself waited for Sparx to return.

**That's all for now. The intro was meant to be a bit longer that the rest of these chapter, each one will be around 2000 words, give or take a few hundred. Thank you all so much for your positive feedback and enthusiasm for this story, I'll do my best to update as fast as possible. **


	3. Athenaeum

**A mysterious Earth Dragoness, a lonely evening, and a curious old man…? What do these things add up to? Just take a guess. Who knows what this woman has in store for Terrador, but maybe it'd be best if he asked the Guardians for some guidance first.**

Age of Life

Chapter 3

Athenaeum

_Ask for Zephra…_The words trailed over and over in his mind just wondering about who Zephra was and why he had to ask for her. The library in Warfang wasn't too far from where he had been residing since the temple had been taken by Malefor as his lair, but neither was the common court house where he had been at the meeting only a few hours earlier. He hadn't been waiting for Sparx that long, but to him, so long as he was thinking about this strange, yet stunning dragoness who spoke to him, he may as well have been their waiting all day. He stood there on the sidewalk, watching the city folk go about their business, trading, moving, and the little children laughing and playing in the streets. Terrador, ever since the talk he had with Spyro about eggs, was moved to the brim about hatchlings and chicks that he could call his own. And for the first time in Terrador's life, he actually wished for Sparx to show up, this way he could get his mind off of this Emerald Dragoness, and focus on the things he should've been on.

"Yo…! Terrador…!" Music to his ear holes; Terrador looked up to see Sparx fly down to him on the sidewalk and the normal reports were given.

"Hello Sparx…did you…find anything…?" The mighty dragon had his mind on a randomizer, his thoughts spinning and moving around as fast as the world did spin, and he was amazed that he managed to, mostly, put together a full sentence.

"No…" And Sparx raised an eyelid, "But I heard you did…!" Sparx said and flew off, laughing harder than when he taunted Spyro during their game of tag in the swamp. Terrador was stunned and embarrassed, but the dragonfly was gone, the chance to retaliate was gone.

A few minutes later and he had returned to the meeting hall he was at before, and he heard his fellow Guardians' voices coming from inside. He wasn't quite sure how to tell them about this predicament, but he knew he couldn't talk to Spyro, even though he was unaware the young lover and his future mate both saw. And clearly someone had told Sparx, but either, way his friends were the last ones he could turn to for guidance, so will a deep breath, followed by a sight, Terrador walked up to the door and pushed it open. Once the doors were spread wide enough for him to enter, he saw the other two Guardians just sitting down and talking about something. All he heard out of the two before they noticed his presences was,

"Do you understand what I mean?" Volteer asked, to which Cyril replied,

"Yes, yes…of course…" Like he typically did; once they turned their heads and saw their friend, Cyril was the first to extend a greeting. "Ah Terrador…what news do you bring from the city square?" But Terrador held his expression without an even slight twitch. "Terrador…?" He asked back to the Earth dragon. Terrador shook his head and walked up to his two equals and sat down on his bum like they were. He walked with his head down, and after he sat, picked his head back up and looked towards his Ice counterpart.

"I bring news of shock…and to me…surprise…" He mumbled out, but not a nervous mumble, more like a subtle, curious, yet also concerned type mumble.

Cyril and Volteer's faces grew timid expressions, like they knew this was a tender position for Terrador to be in, but being the dragons they were, they still had a duty to the city. "Well…? What was it old friend?" Cyril blatantly let roll off his tongue, his mind speaking for him.

"Yes, what did you find out there?" Volteer added, being the redundant one of the two. That kind of behavior was typical of Volteer, but in this case, the pressure inside Terrador was building up like he had his head in a vice, and the way to word his encounter was only making it worse for him.

He sighed and shook his head, trying to clear his thoughts away and stay on track, "The young ones and I parted ways once we reached the city square, Spyro took Cynder off in one direction and Sparx went off in another. I remained in the square, but then…" He stopped, and the other two dragons leaned their heads in like they were anticipating a slap in the face. "There was this…dragoness…she knew my name, and she seemed very interested in my…" Terrador scrambled his ideas together as to what to call it, but the only thing he could come up with that sounded proper without directly saying 'love life' was, "Social history…"

The heads of Volteer and Cyril retracted and their eyelids rose, not seeing an issue in his story. If anything, the two were jealous of him meeting a dragoness so quickly, but both knew that the description of the event was nowhere near over.

"And so…? What's the problem?" A wanting Volteer asked. But Terrador looked to him and said with fear in his eyes,

"She invited me to the library later this evening, I'm not sure if I should go…it may lead to…regretful actions." The tone of his voice changed from fear to uncertainty, and his head fell like a stone.

"Well you heard what Spyro said old friend…" Cyril began, and Terrador picked his head up and listened, "Our time has come, the world is a peaceful place now. Should you find a mate and settle down, no one would have a problem with that. And the way I see it, neither would she, whoever she is. Even if said actions are undergone, there's no reason that once you have children you have to give up fighting and battling. After all you said it yourself, it's all you know, you'd have to let up on the consistency of how often you do it, but no one should give up their entire lives to see someone else's through."

Volteer then joined in, "It's true that one must be willing to sacrifice themselves for their family, but character is what makes us all unique, should you have to give that up…the woman wouldn't be right for you at all."

"And we all must remember that love is only true one time in our lives, and we have to know when to plant our roots. Should we wait too long, our family will perish, and the bloodline shall cease." Cyril was trying to say in a clean way that you know when you're readying to have children, and if you don't that's your choice, but make sure it's what you want, because if you change your mind, you'll surely regret it.

With a mental pledge, and yet another sigh, Terrador turned to leave, walking with doubt and feeling like his legs were shaking. His friends weren't so quick to let him leave with his current outlook. "Where are you going old friend?" Volteer asked. Terrador only turned around looked to his Electric counterpart and said,

"Home…one can never think too much…"

Meanwhile, as if the stars were aligning perfectly, Spyro and Cynder had to make a stop by the city library while Sparx was off somewhere doing his own thing, promising to meet them afterwards. Inside the building, Cynder was sitting on a pillow on the ground, reading an open book in the silent serenity a library offers, and the book was taking her to a different world. _And so the boy refused his father's orders, and married his true love after all. The End…_She sighed with bliss and a fuzzy feeling after finishing the story. The feeling sprouted from her knowing that the boy in the book was just like Spyro, always doing what he thought was right while still trying to please everyone. Spyro was still searching for his desired book in one of the rows, and when he reached up to take a book down to see if it was the one he was looking for, Cynder walked towards him and startled him with her voice in the stillness.

"Spyro…" It was still a whisper, as it was a library, but the sudden noise made him jump, ever so slightly. "Sorry…" She said quietly, but no damage had been done besides a little shock.

"It's fine…" He began in an equally quiet voice, "Did you want something?" He asked in a sweet little voice.

"No, I was just putting this back." And she put the book back into place and the shelf, causing some dust to rise. Clearly, the library needed some work done, and Cynder let out a small cough.

"Are you okay?" He asked her with his tender, yet calm voice. Cynder swallowed a few times, and took a deep breath.

"I'm fine, just a small hitch. But I know if it had been worse, you would've been right there to help me."

"You know I would've…" And he placed his right forefoot on her cheek and caressed her face in his palm, making her place her own foot over his and grasping it. Their eyes met, and a smile blossomed on their faces. But a sneaky scoff trailed through the room at their actions, and both broke from the moment to turn around and through the rows of shelves, they saw an adult dragon.

Both walked over to the dragon past the books and the pillow Cynder was previously sitting on, and when they reached their company, they noticed it was a female. Spyro tilted his head to the side as the woman looked to them and raised an eyelid and turned her head like she was waiting for an answer. "Yes…can I help you?" She asked.

"We were just curious why you scoffed before? It seemed a little rude." Cynder made the point, but the female rolled her eyes and looked back towards the book shelf she was near.

"Pardons…you're Spyro and Cynder…correct?" Any dragon in the city knew these two by now, so she figured she'd acknowledge that fact.

"Yes…we are. Who are you?" Spyro might've been a hero, but he was still raised better than that, so he remained formal.

The adult seemed hesitant, but caved in shortly after and spoke, "My name is Zephra. I was categorized under Deadly Class as a student. So I'm just here looking for a book on socialism, I need all the help I can get. If you know what I mean…" Spyro didn't understand, but Cynder, being a female as well, understood completely.

"If you're looking for romantic help…I'm sure we could give you a talon. We are a couple after all…" Cynder said proudly and turned her attention to Spyro, to which he only nodded and Cynder moved her focus back to Zephra.

"Okay fine…you got me…" She sighed, just like Terrador, and explained, "What do you do when you meet someone who's too much like yourself? So much that it makes you mad because you don't like what you see? But at the same time, you like that person because they're not you?"

"A little more…please…" Spyro said leaning in, needing more information than that.

"Like…" Zephra had no idea how to describe her situation, "I met this man earlier today, and he's really strong and proud. But like I said, I was in Deadly Class as a child, that means I was a loose cannon while in school. So I've never had any experience with relationships. In fact, I was too focused on fighting that I never pondered the idea of romance and family for myself, so now I'm a socially awkward solider with a date, and no idea of how to go through with it." Spyro was intrigued by her story, having no idea that this man was Terrador, who shared the same emotional stress as she did.

"You know, you remind me of someone I'm really close with…" Spyro said to her, "He's been fighting and training his whole life and has developed a fear of intimacy, and a closed mind to the idea of family. But from what I heard, he met someone who threw him for a loop, and it made him see that having relations with someone can be a moving experience. This is just my opinion, but by the way he acted after his encounter with the woman, he seemed like he knew a few things he didn't before. In your case, I'm thinking that you think this man is so much like yourself, that this whole date will be unsettling and awkward like you said. What you need to understand is this…though sometimes two dragons may go into a situation apart, if you both have the same feelings inside, you'll come out together. Take myself and Cynder for an example, when this war started, she was my sworn enemy, and she tried to kill me multiple times. But…after I saved her, and after she saved me too, we grew to see that together, and only together, could we achieve victory and complete our mission. Through this, we found love, and now here we are…"

Zephra took in every word and tried to muster a solution based on his advice, though he seemed like he spoke in riddles. "So what you're saying is…I'm nervous about meeting this man here, because I think he's too much like myself, therefore I'm concerned I'll blow it. But, if I just open up to my surroundings a little and use them, coupled with confidence and support, I'll be good?" It was a complete guess, a completely wrong guess.

"No…" Cynder said to Zephra. "What he was trying to say is that it doesn't matter how you come into it, whether it would be separate or apart. So long as you leave together, you'll be satisfied and happy with the outcome." While Cynder explained what Spyro really meant, the Purple Dragon himself had had a wandering eye and his gaze met with the spine of the book he'd been searching for on the shelf next to him in the same row as Zephra. Cynder finished talking and looked over to see Spyro holding the book, "Oh…that's the one you were looking for right?"

"Yes…" And he put the book under his arm and looked to their 'pupil' of love. "This is what we came for…may we go now…if it's no trouble?" Spyro asked genuinely.

The female was thanked by their words, and gave her the advice she needed to meet Terrador, and with a hearty smile, she nodded. "Thank you Spyro, and you Cynder. I hope our paths can cross again, this way, I can thank you. I wish you both the best…" Zephra said and smiled to them, and they smiled back.

"May your…date…go well. I hope to see a serene Zephra in the future. Find happiness for yourself, as we have." Cynder said and looked to Spyro.

The two then turned around, and after a few exchange words, left the building with the book in their possession. Both were silent, not knowing what to make of what had just happened, but the title of the book Spyro took was repeating in his head, it was oddly coincidental to what had just happened: _Consummation: Your First Night_.

**Does anyone know what that word means? Well it's very important. Happy Election Day everyone! Even though I personally don't like either of the presidential candidates this year; I shall not let it interfere with my FanFiction time. So Zephra is the name of this dragon crushing on Terrador, she's an adult Earth dragon, and believe it or not, Zephra is a name I came up with, and it is derived from an Old Gaelic word meaning, 'of the Earth'. Neat, right? **


	4. Jive of Rapture

**It will become apparent what consummation means somewhere in this chapter in case you didn't get it before. Not calling anyone illiterate, just saying. This is going to be a shorter chapter than most, only because I want to focus on Zephra and Terrador. **

**But most importantly, let's all give our support to Jayhawkman2010 who needs to continue his story! We all know how stressful school can be, so let's give him the support he needs to continue like all of you have done for me!**

Age of Life

Chapter 4

Jive of Rapture

Cynder didn't know what book Spyro had been searching for, but she was interested to find out, as there were no secrets between the two young lovers. That was another thing that made them an example couple for others, they told each other everything, no matter how embarrassing or emotional, the fewer secrets, the better, that was the way they saw it. As they walked down the steps that lead into the library, Cynder figured she'd break the silence between the two.

"So…what's that book you got? It seems sort of thin." She pointed out, but Spyro only turned to her and smiled.

"You'll see soon enough. And I also think you'll like what you see…" He said with a mischievous grin, which made Cynder get turned on a little bit, wondering why Spyro would keep a book like that tucked away.

As the two continued to walk down the stairs and towards the street, they heard flapping. Both looked up to the sky and saw the Guardian of Earth hovering down to make a landing on the steps. Terrador placed himself down and looked right towards the two, and he smiled, trying to cover up his wrecked feeling inside. "Hello Spyro…Cynder…" He greeted respectively, "What brings you to the library?"

"Oh…just getting a book." Spyro said gesturing to the book under his arm with his head, "What about you?" Terrador smirked nervously, attempting to hide his true purpose.

"Same as you, I need to pick up a book." He said that in the hopes they'd respect his privacy and not ask about what.

"Okay then, good luck to you…" Spyro said with consent and walked past him with Cynder and once they made it down to the street, the young dragons flew off towards their new home in Warfang, but the situation had crossed Spyro's mind as he turned his head back for a moment and watched Terrador go into the building. "Hey Cynder…" He asked to her, and she began hovering in midair to stop and look at him, giving him her complete attention. "Do you think that Zephra's date _was _Terrador? I mean, we saw him talk to a female near the square, and Zephra said she was waiting for a date. Is it a coincidence, or…?" Spyro was trying to make sense of it.

"It's possible…after all, when you gave Zephra that advice on how to stay calm, you were referencing Terrador's feelings towards the subject. Maybe…and only maybe…if that was meant to be Terrador, we may have just set them up." Cynder suggested, which made Spyro grin and giggle all at once.

"True…looks like we can play match-maker." And the dragons both laughed lovingly at their newly found skills at match making and flew off.

Inside the library, Terrador walked up to the mole behind the main counter and tapped on the desk. The mole looked up from his book and gave Terrador his attention. "Yes…?" Judging from the voice it was an older gentleman.

"I was told to ask for Zephra…?" Terrador hinted at his interest in her when he spoke her name and his face got warm, but the lights in the building were slightly dimmed and the mole didn't notice.

"Section 3…over there…" The librarian said and pointed down a hallway to the left.

"Thank you…" And the green dragon walked in the designated direction.

As he walked through the many shelves and books which they contained, he was thinking of the dragoness. Her slender emerald body, the curve of her horns, the whip of her tail, and way her hips swerved from side to side when she walked. The thoughts promoted some 'uncomforting' feelings within Terrador, and as he blushed with embarrassment. Even though no one saw, he was feeling as if he was experiencing sexual attraction for the first time. Enough so that he waited until things were 'settled' and he kept on walking, trying not to think about it again, as the strange feeling was something new to him, and to be honest to himself, he didn't like it. He rounded a corner and arrived in the same circular room that Spyro and Cynder had been in before, with the rows of books and pillows to read on in the center of the room. It was a dead end with no other halls to walk through, so he figured he was in the right place. He looked at the section sign to assure his place, and he was, so he quietly called out the name he was told.

"Zephra…!" He peeped, and a small ruffling of pages was heard from a corner of the room. He walked towards the sound and saw a green dragoness flipping through pages in a book. He swallowed hard, as it was the same dragoness from before. The nervous dragon moved closer to the female, but still spoke deeply and confidently. "So your name is Zephra? Why didn't you just tell me that before?" The dragoness closed the book and faced him, with determination, yet still a bitter shyness.

"I wasn't sure how to talk to you out there. I'm never sure how to talk to anyone new, unless I'm in a warzone." Warzone…? It startled Terrador, in a good way of course.

"A warzone…? What like…? Do you…like to fight…and train?" Terrador was gaining his ground back after he found some common ground with his date. She got up from her post and walked over to him.

"Yes, I was one of the top soldiers in Warfang during the war. But now I'm just socially awkward trying to make a future for myself. My friends told me dating was a good way to do so, but I can't seem to stop talking about battle…the thrill of running out and facing a new enemy every day, not knowing if you'll live to go to bed that night…"

"Or with someone…ever…" Terrador whispered under his breath, but she heard it anyway.

"Yeah…or with someone…" She blushed and turned her head away without moving her body. Terrador was ashamed that she heard it, but he was still jumping on the inside to hear she enjoyed fighting enemies and pests as much as he did.

"I know how you feel." And she turned back to him, "About both things actually." So she tilted her head and listened in curiously, "Going into a fight is different every time, and though it may not always be the best feeling in the world, sometimes it's exactly what you need. All that adrenaline replaces the need to…" And he stopped before he said the word, and felt his face get hot again, but shook his head again and focused. "That's the other thing. I grew up going to school to train as a warrior; I know the feeling of going to sleep without someone next to you. It's an odd feeling; a feeling like someone should be there, but yet they're not. The exact words are hard to find, but you know what I mean, right?"

"Of course…" Zephra said with understanding afterwards. "The knowledge that the one sleeping next to you would hold you in their wings and embrace you all night…" The image of herself being cuddled with made her face turn red, and she sort of liked the way it felt. "But I guess those kinds of stories only exist in fairy tales. It's so hard to find big, strong, and yet selfless dragons nowadays. All the ones I've seen look so washed up and arrogant. They clearly have all of the girls, but those guys who act like that just make me sick. The way I see it, if you're a guy…" Terrador was wondering if she meant him, but decided she wasn't. "And you want to impress me, be nice, charming, and thoughtful. All of these relationships I've seen where there's a Bad Boy involved always end in tears. I'd much rather see more dragons like you Terrador." And he was caught off guard by her statement. "Dragons like you fight for what's right, and you don't expect anything in return. You care for the inhabitants of this city, and you take pride in watching them walk safely through the streets. No one else does that…" Zephra looked right at Terrador's eyes when she said the last part, she was correct about everything, but that's what the job of a Guardian is.

"Thank you Zephra…I appreciate a strong dragoness when I see one, I was beginning to think that they didn't exist." He joked to her face and let out a small chuckle, but Zephra slyly smirked and took it as a challenge.

"Oh…you think I can't handle myself against a big, tough Earth dragon like you? Please Terrador you'll need more than charms to beat me in a fight." Terrador stopped flying on the inside after their small humor spat and got a bit more serious.

"I do have charms, but so do you. For an Earth dragon like you to be tough, lovely, graceful, and still have a fun side…well, I'd never expect that. I have to say, I truly had doubts about meeting you here, but I think it was a decision well worth making. I enjoy your company Zephra, your quiet different than what I expected…" This made Zephra interested in him even more, and she got closer to him and spoke softer than before.

"Well I thought you'd be different too. I thought we'd be standing here with nothing to talk about, but you really are a dragon worthy of being a solider, a true solider. Like I said, I'm new to the social world, but in the short time I've known you, I've really learned a lot."

"As have I…my dear…" Zephra liked the sound of that. After all, a date is to decide if you want to keep seeing the significant other, and both Earth dragons were sure of their decision.

"As am I…darling…" She was just toying with him, it was the softest thing he'd ever been called. Zephra gritted her teeth on the inside, hoping she hadn't just ruined it. But Terrador took it as part of game, so he continued.

"Well then my dear, would you care to take a stroll through the city with me? Followed by a dinner, and then I'll fly you home?" After the small moment of connection they had, it was clear this was one paring that was going to soar.

With a smile and nodding of her head, they left the library and spent the rest of the evening together, laughing, sharing stories of battle, talking about common subjects and differences, and eventually, shared a meal. As the night enveloped the city and the first real date of their lives was ending, Terrador landed with Zephra in front of her home, which was apartment like in design, as she shared her building with many others. He looked over her once more, but controlled himself and smiled.

"This was…oddly enjoyable. It was probably the first time in a long time I've enjoyed myself without fighting."

"Me too Terrador…" The two only stared at one another, and with a gentle snort from Zephra's nostrils, causing a little smoke to appear then fade, Zephra spoke once more. "I should go inside…but we should do this again."

"Of course…I'd love that." And Terrador walked up to her and wrapped a wing around her side and gave her a hug while she did the same with her wing on the other side.

The two half coiled their necks and enjoyed the warm embrace they were in. Zephra felt herself growing irritated, feeling his muscular body in her wings and having him all to herself, it almost felt like too much to resist. She also felt his breath on her neck, slow and steady, and it mad her mouth water a little. She forced herself to hold her position, as she didn't want to do anything she wasn't prepared for. Terrador was managing the same thing, only in a different area. Worried he'd embarrass himself and also gross her out, he tried to pull away, so he could cover up, but when he did he found him locked into a gaze with his new interest. She didn't know what was happening, but she felt herself leaning in towards his head, and he felt himself doing the same thing. Only centimeters away, Terrador pulled back and little and sighed.

"I have a fear of intimacy…" He confessed, but Zephra blinked only once and placed one of her feet under his chin and made him look at her.

"So do I…" And she kissed him, and he kissed back, their lips sealing and making the two a couple. The passion they felt was new to them both and the feeling was making their heartbeats rocket out of normalcy. Both pulled away at the same time, and they only smiled. "See you tomorrow…I'll be waiting." It wasn't lustful, but more so happy, and eager. Zephra walked out of Terrador's wing hug and opened the door to her home, only looking back once to smile at him, and then went inside. Terrador breathed heavily and flew up into the sky to return home, also eager to see her again. His first date hadn't gone so badly after all.

**I'm so not the only one who's picking up a little physical tension between them am I? Oh well, that's what happened when you start to fall in love. I mean, mating in the Spyro world is the ultimate sign of love and acceptance, so I think it's terrible it's always blow out of proportion. Consider Terrador and Zephra officially a couple! They're really cute together, or so I think. I hope you do too!**


	5. Twin Spouse

**Okay, so I know that the last time I updated this story was in November, and I'm very sorry about that. But I had two other stories I desperately needed to finish. Also, I reread the entire story so far myself, and I also checked out every review and suggestion given to me. I hope all of you can forgive me for the long absence, mainly because I promise that this story will be updated much faster from now on. And I'm glad that Terrador and Zephra are getting such a positive reception from you guys! The two really do well together.**

**And let's not forget to keep giving Jayhawkman2010 our support! **

Age of Life

Chapter 5

Twin Spouse

His muscles twitched, his claws winced, and his chest expanded. Spyro was returning to the world of the awakening one as his mind hammered at his body to make him come back to the earth from the realm of dreams and mysteries. He sat up, but nearly fell back down, as his leg was shaken and in no condition to support the rest of his helplessly tried and limp body. Spyro got back up and gazed outside the window adjacent to his bed, and outside he saw the sky was a majestic mix of purple, black, and orange. This was a recipe of colors that told Spyro that the day hadn't quite begun for everyone, but it had started for him. This day had risen up, and now he had to answer its call and move along with it like the waves in the ocean. As Spyro attempted to get out of bed, he saw his beloved future mate next to him, Cynder. The rhythmic rise and fall of her chest forced her to remain asleep, and Spyro saw she looked like she was having a dream fit for a king by the elegant smile on her face. It was almost too sweet to break her out of it, however, in a couple, when one starts, the other must as well.

"Hey…Cynder…" Spyro whispered tenderly, like he was nurturing a new born hatchling. "Cynder…wake up." His command was simple, and he gently nudged her with his fore limb while she remotely shook her head and rose up, letting a long yawn unravel from her mouth, and settling her head back down on the sheets.

"Spyro…?" She peeped up, and drifted her gem-like eyes towards Spyro, she smiled, but she noticed the sky outside as he had. "It's not dawn yet…"

"I know…but I need you to be up with me. I'm sure the other Guardians would be up by now, and I need to meet them at the Council Hall. They requested my presence." Spyro tried to stand up and get off the resting space in their room, but as he stepped off his legs shook. His sight blurred, and he almost collapsed from dizziness. He nearly didn't have time to grab his footing, but he slammed his claws down and gripped the floor, making him stand firm in place. Cynder saw this commotion through her wavy vision, and heard him stomp on the floor like he was casting a spell.

"Spyro…? What's…" And she let another yawn get loose. "What's wrong…?"

"Nothing…I guess I'm just more tired than I thought. I can't even stand up straight." And he released a giggle, and Cynder took hold of his back and helped herself up out of the bed as well. They were up and out, but in no way ready to fly towards the Council Hall. They both took a step forward together, but both had a trembling leg as they stepped; it was going to be a long morning for them.

By the time the two reached the footsteps of the Council Hall building, they'd fallen over more time than they could count, and by this point, they were leaning on each other for strength. It was a good thing that they usually never had to get up this early. Spyro blinked a few times and pushed the door open, and inside he saw Cyril and Volteer shuffling through numerous papers. The creaking of the massive door alerted them to the two young dragons' appearance, and they were quickly met with a warm welcome, figuratively of course. They dropped their papers down and walked over to Spyro and Cynder, who were trying to stand up straight and proud, but could only hold the position for so long.

"Good morning young dragons…!" Cyril began, "You are most likely wonder why I asked you here…well, to be short…I have a favor to ask of you."

"Yes Cyril…anything…" Spyro said and gave the ice dragon all his attention.

"I need to ask if you know how our comrade's meeting went the other night with his new lady friend. So, what I've heard is he met a dragoness and they went to the library, but all other information is frozen at the moment." Cyril seemed to be genuinely concerned about his friend, and he was also eager to hear if it had gone well so he could give Terrador his salutations. Volteer was the same way, but he hadn't heard a thing and did no research on the event like Cyril did, as he wanted to be completely surprised.

"I don't know anything about it Terrador. I'm sorry; I honestly thought that he'd be here with the two of you by now. I'm shocked he isn't, he must be really tired, or he spent the night with her." Spyro was starting to get his head on his shoulders and feet on the ground, but his mind was still AWOL.

"Hmm…now that the young dragon mentions it, Terrador _should _have been here by now, whether he stayed with her or not. Perhaps it would be best to go look for him. These papers are nothing, just some farm regulations for the upcoming winter, and the city has very little activity at this hour. If he was missing, there would be little worry until broad daylight." Volteer has the right mind set, and no one wanted to risk another disappearance. All four nodded their heads in agreement, and they each went outside. The sky was a gentle land of orange and yellow, so it was closer to dawn than before, but the sun still wasn't completely raised.

"We should go to his home first, you know, just to be sure." Cynder was the one who had made this suggestion, and it was quickly adapted by the group and accounted for.

And so the group departed for the Earth dragon's home on the far end of the city near the upper class citizens. This portion of the city was more refined, as the main palace was there, and all the nobles and respected individuals lived in this area. The three Guardians lived in this part of the city, even though the Council Hall was located in the commons as a sign of equality to the citizens of Warfang. They all flew gracefully, and more important, silently to the residence of Terrador, which was a large, stone building accompanied by many small homes surrounding it. In this part of the city, people lived in individual houses than apartments and skyscrapers, like in the commons and the lower portions of the city.

"Should we knock…?" Cyril asked. It was still early, and he didn't want to be rude to his old friend.

"I don't think that's necessary, he wouldn't hear us if we did anyway." The point of obviousness was made by Spyro.

Spyro then pushed the door to the building open and everyone followed him inside. It was dark; the walls seemed as though they caught darkness like a net and then held it there. They weren't creeping, there was no need, they knew the dragon that lived here, so the need to sneak in was a ridiculous one. They all knew that Terrador lived in the residence at the very top, so they took the stairs up to the main room. They didn't fly because Spyro and Cynder were still a bit woozy from being awake so early, where they found the strength to walk up all those steps, no one could figure out. It took them a few minutes, as the build wasn't completely massive, and they arrived at door to Terrador suite, or as he called it, his 'cave'.

Cynder slipped into the room ahead of Spyro, and the two Guardians waited in the hall, Spyro and Cynder went to his bed chamber, but no dragon was found. In fact, the bed was a completely mess, showing that he had been there, quite recently too, as the scent of the Earth dragon lingered in the air. Where he was at the time was uncertain, but Spyro and Cynder went back out of the room, as they had no further wishes to invade Terrador's home. "He's not in there…" Cynder told the others as Spyro closed the door to the room and joined her side. "And the bed isn't made, but the sheets are still warm, so he must've been here a little while ago. However, I can't figure out where he is."

"Is there any evidence of a struggle?" Cyril asked, trying to confirm if he was captured by something.

"No…everything is perfectly orderly. There's no sign of relatliation at all, it looks exactly like he just got up and left. There isn't even any sign of him eating anything, so he could only have gotten up and literally took off through the window."

Everyone was suddenly curious as to where he would have gone, they all had a good guess, but no one wanted to confirm anything. "Does anyone know where this new female friend of his lives?" Volteer said out loud, but he had no idea how rude it was.

"Volteer…!" Cynder snapped at him, "If their date…or meeting…whatever they're calling it, went well, he's probably just eager to see her again. For all we know they're out having an early breakfast so they can show each other their fighting styles…or something." Spyro followed up.

"We think her name is Zephra, but we haven't got a clue where she lives. We barely even spoke to her, and when we did, it was mainly about Terrador." That statement caught Cyril's attention.

"What was that? You have spoken with her?" The Ice dragon asked.

"Yes, for a brief time at the library, but we haven't done so since." Spyro told him with full assurance.

Cyril pondered this, and several thoughts came over him, some bad, and some good. The realization came over him that Terrador could very well have gone to see her early, or he went out for a morning stroll, or he might have been back at the Hall wondering where they had gotten to, but whatever the thought was, just in case it wasn't as harmless as it seemed, they'd have to find him. "Well…regardless, even if no struggle is apparent, we still must locate him. We are lucky we don't have a Council meeting today, otherwise he'd never heard the end of it from our new governor."

And thus they exited the hall and left the building, leaving everything exactly how it was. When they got outside they saw that the sun had begun to peak over the top of the horizon, which was the signal that the day had started for many of Warfang's people. Everyone inhaled, the search for Terrador was about to begin. "I guess we better start looking for him now then…" Spyro commanded, taking charge of the mission, so to speak. "We should split up, it'll be quicker that way and we can cover more areas of the city. We all know what Terrador looks like, right? Cyril, you take the Merchant's Square in the center of the city, Volteer check the commons, Cynder, you stay here and search these higher levels, I doubt he'll be here, but you never know, I'll inspect the Ruins of Warfang and the lower, poorer portions of the city. If you see one another, tell them what you've seen, we'll need every detail. Of course, we all know this could be a lost cause." Everyone nodded their head at Spyro, and in an instant that was quicker than the rising sun, they dispersed over the city, flying and asking around the other dragons, moles, cheetahs and other people if they'd seen the Guardian of Earth.

Around noon, Cyril found himself moving into an area of the Merchant's Square near the northern most wall of Warfang; it was an area he'd already checked out, but it wouldn't hurt to check again. He walked along the wall, nodding to acknowledging guards that mentioned his presence and tipped their hat. As he walked, he noticed that along the street, there was a string of small market stands, some of them sold food, others sold clothes, and other were giving out free things like coupons for lesson on elemental mastery. Towards the end of the particular street that he was walking on, he noticed a group of females, probably in Graduation School by their size and voices, he saw that one of them shot him a glance and giggled, and then she turned back around. Trying to avoid eye-contact, Cyril kept on walking, but he found that when he stopped to ask one of the guards if he'd seen Terrador, the dragoness who giggled at him started walking towards him.

"Uh…yes thank you…" Cyril said and dismissed the guard back to his duties, to which he nodded and marched off. The female walked right up to Cyril, and he was already getting nervous. "Hello little lady…may I help you?"

"Yeah, uh…hi…I saw you from over there…and I…I thought that you looked kind of cute, for an ice dragon. You're Cyril, the Ice General right?" And he nodded, "I knew it…!" She exclaimed, startling him and making him feel uncomfortable. "So I was just wondering if you…maybe…kind of…wanted to…" Cyril saw where this was going from a mile away, and he put a halt to it right then.

"I appreciate the affection Miss, but I have no interest in any of that nonsense right now. I have matters to attend to, and having a relationship would only get in the way. You're better off without me anyway…" And he flapped his wings and shot into the sky, not looking at her face, if she even had one left after that.

Over in another part of the city, Spyro was flying in-between towers and glancing down at the streets below as he flew, there were plenty of green dragons, but none of which was the one he sought to find. Cynder was hovering nearby to his circling motion, and when she saw him, she flew right over to him. "Hey Spyro…!" And the Purple Dragon broke his gaze on the ground and focused his vision on his love.

"Hey Cynder…" He was about to ask the obvious question, but from a drained look in her eyes, he could tell right away that she had no reports of good news. "I take it you didn't find him then…?"

"No…" She said shaking her head while still flying in place.

"This isn't right…!" Spyro said while starting to get aggravated. "Terrador is a massive wall of muscle and power, someone like that shouldn't be this hard to find. If he was in the city, we would've most definitely found him by now." After his small rant, he turned away from Cynder, mildly ashamed of his behavior. "Have you heard anything from the others?"

"No…"

"Well then we have to look somewhere else." He pondered a list of places he knew Terrador might go to, but one of them stuck out in particular, and the idea made him feel good, as if he was onto something. "Why don't we go to Avalar? I'm sure Hunter might know where he is! Even if he doesn't know, he's still a phenomenal tracker! He'll be able to find him for sure." Spyro felt confident in his plan, and Cynder smiled in agreement. Just like that, the two were off towards the Valley of Avalar.

It didn't take any dragon long to reach Avalar by air, especially not these two. With all that they had been forced to dodge while flying, a simple, smooth flight like this was practically a dream come true. The village was in sight, and they both dove out of the sky in a dazzling free-fall, completely for fun of course. They stopped their fall using their wings, and touched down just outside the gate. As they walked in, the cheetahs noticed them immediately and cheered, it was a hero's welcome. Spyro smiled, feeling good that they weren't just clapping and hollering for him, but for Cynder as well. Chief Prowlus heard the commotion, and walked out to see what the problem was, but instead smiles at his sudden guests.

"Ah…the Purple Dragon and the Mighty Black Dragoness…what do we owe this privilege?" Prowlus had grown to like dragons ever since Spyro defeated Malefor and restored the world, as such, Cynder became accepted too. Out of the same hut as Prowlus, Hunter emerged behind him, and both walked up to meet the dragons halfway.

"We're looking for Terrador, and possibly a female Earth dragon of the same color. They're not in Warfang, so far as we know, and we were wondering if you've seen them." Spyro asked the Chief. Prowlus rubbed his chin and thought on it for a moment, and then responded.

"Well…my scouts have reported sightings of two green dragons flying over the Valley near the Twins, perhaps you could search there." Hunter stopped Prowlus right there and offered to continue the explanation, this was due to Spyro and Cynder's lack of presence in the Valley, they probably didn't know what the Twins were.

"Chief Prowlus, I shall escort them to the Twins myself. You stay back and handle those construction plans." And he walked past them with the dragons following him. Cynder ran to his side and nudged him.

"Hunter…? What are the Twins? I haven't heard that term before." Hunter grinned and turned towards her as they kept walking back out of the village.

"The Twins are what we call the two waterfalls on the far end of the Valley. Their Mother is the large one right next to them. But you've probably seen how there's another river that breaks into two smaller waterfalls next to one another. As I said, those are the ones we call the Twins." Hunter's explanation was decent, it could have been better, but they weren't complaining. They made their way over to the foot of the rock that lead up the Twins, and Hunter sniffed the air. He then put his hand down on the ground as if he was feeling for vibrations.

"Anything…?" Spyro asked.

"There's no movement here…but there is an odd aroma coming from between the Twins."

The decision was easy, the dragons flew, and Hunter scaled the many vines growing on the rock, and sure enough, they met on the platform about halfway up and between the two Twins. Spyro sniffed the air and also smelled something strange, and he used his earth ability to send a small shockwave through the ground in the rock, seeing if it hit anything and bounced off. In his claws, there was a vibration, something was inside the rock behind the Twins. Spyro approached the water of the left Twin, and used his ice breath to propel himself through the water and to the other side. Much to his surprise, he didn't smack hard into a rock. Instead, he face planted down on flat floor, and when he looked up, he was amazed. There was an entire cave behind the left Twin, big enough for even a dragon like Terrador to live in, and he saw that the vibration he felt was coming from furniture. A bed, and work slab, a fire hole, and other homey touches were in place, and Spyro felt dumbfounded by the awkward finding. Cynder and Hunter burst through the waterfall too, but Spyro caught Cynder before she fell, and Hunter managed to land on his feet. When they saw the unreal cave, with multiple stalactites hanging from the ceiling, they felt their brains and bodies lose feeling at the sight.

"Wow…" Was all Cynder could say. "I never knew this was here."

"I didn't either…" Hunter admitted. "All these placements must mean someone is trying to move in. That would explain the bed and the work space."

"But who would want to live out here behind a waterfall?" Spyro asked out loud, speak of the devil. As he concluded his sentence, a flapping sound was heard, and the turned to see a silhouette coming at the waterfall. A roar was heard, and the water shattered into droplets as the figure crashed into the cave with them. Spyro ducked, and Cynder moved while Hunter did a back flip out of the way. They all got soaked by the water being thrust in so quickly by their visitor, a green dragon who was also soaked. Spyro noticed that they had their head down, like they were protecting something, and once the dragon picked its head up, Spyro saw it was Terrador. "Terrador…!" Spyro exclaimed and ran over to him. Terrador looked behind him, and you could see the surprise in his face.

"Spyro…Cynder…Hunter…looks like the three of you found me."

"Where have you been all day? We were worried something happened to you." Cynder confessed, they tried to show how much they cared for their dear friend.

"I assure you all I'm fine, I was just making a few touches to my old hideout." Everyone got silent. Hideout…? They never knew Terrador had a hideout, let alone an old one.

"Hideout…?" Hunter asked from behind the dragons, making Terrador look up, and Spyro and Cynder look back. "This cave is your hideout?"

"Yes it is, from a long time ago actually. I found this place when I was in training at the old temple, and when I was a child, I used my Earth to make it bigger. I treated it as a home, but I haven't used it in years. Now I'm just making some adjustments to make the place more livable." He wasn't lying, for he was clutching books, food, and other assorted items in his arm, which Spyro guessed is what he was covering when he went through the waterfall.

"Why would you make this cave livable?" Cynder asked.

"Well…after my evening with Zephra, I saw where she lived, and I just felt so bad that she lived in the lower parts of the city. So…since she did something nice for me, I decide to get up early today and get the jump on this little project so I can do something nice for her. Once it's done, I'll give the place to her as a new home." Terrador was smiling the whole time he spoke, showing how eager he was to see Zephra's reaction to his surprise, it was something Spyro would compare to the sun.

"Ah…how sweet of you Terrador!" Cynder said, she was just like any other dragoness of her age. She was a complete loon when it came to 'chocolates and flowers'.

"I guess our worries were ill mannered then." Spyro said.

"I'm sorry if I frightened you, but I didn't want to waste any time."

"No…it's fine. We'll go tell Cyril and Volteer you're safe." And Spyro turned to leave with Hunter following him.

"Good luck Terrador…!" Cynder said and waved to him using her wing, and then she jumped out of the cave following the boys. Terrador then set himself back to work; he knew this would go well. Hunter bid them goodbye and returned to his village while they headed home.

Once back in the city, Spyro and Cynder went to the Hall, it was there that they were sure they'd find Cyril and Volteer. As they opened the door, they saw Volteer, but not Cyril. "Hey Volteer…where is…" Spyro's short sentence was cut even shorter, for Cyril was indeed there, but his eyes were plain and frozen like his element. His body was stiff, and he wasn't talking, moving, and it didn't even look like he was breathing. He looked like he had murdered someone and was feeling the guilt.

**To make up for my long absence, I have treated you to an extra-long chapter! Not every chapter will be this long though, in fact it's kind of exhausting to write 19 or so chapters, each being around 4k words. I was aiming for around 3500 on this one, but I guess I over shot it by an extra few hundred. Well, I have nothing to say really, just keep on reading and thank you everyone for your enthusiasm. Updates will become more regular, I promise. **


	6. Frozen Fool

**So…I bet you all were wondering what happened to our favorite ice dragon. Well, to be direct about it, you'll just have to find out, because frankly if I give you a clue in this AN, it'll completely give it away. Also, if there are any bronies reading this, I have a question for all of you…**

**Why does everyone like Braeburn so much? He's not the only stallion within the fandom, heck, Big Macintosh gets more screen time than he does!**

**Feel free to tell me your answer, and I'm also in the process of shipping Luna, with a character named Prince Amethyst GeoEron. They're a great couple, and I think you should give them a try, since I know that just like in these archives where all the Guardians shipping gay, people within the brony fandom really enjoy twincest between Celestia and Luna. **

**But…! Never mind any of that I'm getting drastically off topic and I'm being a complete troll, and I hate trolls. So, why don't we just find out what the heck happened to Cyril?**

Age of Life

Chapter 6

Frozen Fool

The room was pale and the seemingly frost-like emotions were hung high in the air as Spyro and Cynder gazed upon Cyril. He should've been immune to all kinds of ice, but whatever had happened to him in this case, was more than enough to freeze him solid. They approached, slowly; they swear that they saw their own breath in the air at the dry bitterness that clung to the small area. Physically, Cyril was fine, the only thing about him that was off about him was his eyes, they were bleak, not gray, they were blue like they should be, but where they fell met no boundaries. His glare was a spotlight, moving over the area around him not caring where it went or what it saw. Clearer than the ice crystals that this dragon was capable of creating and using as a deadly force, Cyril had done something terrible, and this was a body disorder, this was an epidemic of the mind.

Spyro neared the side of Volteer, and it was obvious that now was a good time to speak in a whisper. "Volteer…?" Spyro said is a hushed tone while Cynder made her way towards the stale blue dragon. "What happened to him? He looks like he's seen a ghost…literally…!"

Volteer shook his head, and sighed. "My boy…he's suffering from guilt. The worse kind too…" This made both Spyro and Cynder turn around and nearly ask the same question.

"Guilt…?" Cynder said first, and Spyro closed his lips, not wanting to be redundant in an already bad situation. "What do you mean…?"

"I turned her away…" A paranoid sounding Cyril burst out, shaking as he spoke and making every scared for him. "She liked me…she loved me…and I turned her heart to ice in a flash. She'll never be the same, she may commit suicide, or she may even live her life in eternal depression because of what I did. I can't even speak to her now…"

The young dragons were confused, as his speech wasn't entirely clear. Spyro sought Volteer's clarification once more while Cynder got to Cyril's side and touch his front claw as comfort, and it could've frozen her own on contact had it been any colder. "Volteer…what is he talking about…?"

"Well, if you want the short version…" Volteer began as Spyro listened intently while Cynder leaned against Cyril to warm him up. "There was a girl who tried speaking to him when we were out searching for Terrador, naturally, he turned her down without a second thought, and once he tried to fly away…well…" He looked as though the reality of the incident was more than the young dragons could handle.

"Come on Cyril…if we know, there's a chance we can help him…" Cynder said from Cyril's side.

"Alright…" He continued slowly. "Once he tried to leave, the dragoness' friends bombarded him with insults and they tried to attack him too. They told Cyril while they were yelling at him that that dragoness had been crushing on Cyril for years, but never had the chance to speak with him because of the war. Now that it was over, she found the time to finally speak with him, and…well…you know the rest…"

So that's what it had been the whole time, Cyril had been feeling guilt from turning away a dragoness who thought he was a good, and powerful guy. Who would've thought that Spyro would be faced with this situation, a situation where he was forced to have to leave one of his mentors on their own to their own devices? He felt ripped by what he was about to say, "Cynder…get away from him…" And thus, both Cynder and Volteer looked at the young hero like he had gone mad.

"Get away from him? Are you crazy Spyro…? He needs our help…! He's our friend…!" Cynder pleaded to him. Spyro knew she was right, but this was a little bit more important than friendship at the moment. Spyro knew it, but he didn't like it.

"This is a personal problem Cynder. We couldn't help him no matter how hard we try. When heartbreak, or guilt in this case, is felt on such a steep level, the only person who can get you out of it is yourself. Friends do help, but they can only help so far. If Cyril is to get over this and forgive himself, he's going to have to realize that on his own." Every word hurt to say, it felt like he was stabbing one of his mentors in the back. But Cynder saw the truth in his words, and though it pained her as well to do so, she moved away from Cyril and joined Spyro at his side.

"So…" Volteer threw in, "There's really nothing we can do?"

"No…" Spyro said shaking his head, his heart pounded and his head started to ache, but he was ultimately forced to walk away. "We can't help him this time, he has to do this alone." And he un-nailed his feet from the ground and managed to turn around and walk out the door, taking into the air, but his body felt like a magnet being pulled back to that location.

Spyro opened the door to their new home in Warfang, for they lived together now. It was in the commons, but still a very fancy and exquisite building. Cynder followed in behind him, and she shut the door, closing the last possible line to going back and helping Cyril. They knew he'd be okay, but when and how so, that was undeterminable. Spyro steered himself straight through the living space and plopped on his bed. It was then that he covered his face with his claws and moaned. The door was closed completely to going back, but the fight was one of the few that had to be fought alone. Cynder came into their room and got on the bed with him. She laid her head down on his chest, which was facing the ceiling, and she sighed herself. Spyro saw her, and he rolled over and wrapped his wings around her, in a warm and loving embrace, they needed each other's strength to not go back right about now. They wished they could, but they knew if they did that they would fill Cyril's head with false fallacies of hope. Cynder pulled in close to him and tried to speak, but a small whimper only came out.

"I know…" Spyro said quietly, just like the oncoming night had crept its way into his voice. "This doesn't feel right. But…we have other things to discuss. After all, not all problems can be solved in a group. One must always learn how to handle problems on their own."

"Yes…I understand that…but…" Cynder trying to think about other things in order to get her mind off of the current topic, when something Spyro said caught her attention. "Other things…? What other things…? You mean, like…Terrador and Zephra…?" Spyro shook his head.

"I was going to mention it to you later, but it seems we both need to take our minds off of this. I was sort of thinking…that…we could…" Cynder thought she knew what he was getting at, but she'd rather wait until she knew. "Well…I was thinking that we could make…" Make, what? The question was driving her crazy. "I want to start a new school…a new temple for the young dragons here in Warfang and all across the realm." It was not what Cynder was thinking, **(Nor was I'm sure what any of you were thinking…bazinga!) **

"A new school…?" Cynder questioned his thinking.

"Yes…I thought since the old one was tainted by Malefor's grip, it'd be too twisted and the aura of darkness would still have a hold on it. I figured building a new school…temple, would be a gratifying experience for the both of us. We could get the moles and cheetahs to help, and it could be complete in just a few months. I mean, with all of our skills combined in building there and teaching, it could very well be the greatest dragon temple in the realm, and possibly beyond!" Cynder always loved how Spyro was such a big thinker, and this was a monumental project, but by the enthusiasm radiating from his sleek purple scales and vibrant smile, she could tell that he'd be doing this with or without her. Her only option was to share in his glorious moment of inspiration, something she always did with him, any place, any time.

"That sound like it would be a lot of work…but the work of a purple dragon is never done. That means…the work of his mate is never done either. I'll do it Spyro…we'll do it…" And the two covered themselves with their wings as they grappled a hug, spreading all the joy and anticipation between their two young and eager bodies; they were thrilled and couldn't wait to get started.

(Later that evening)

"Come on my dear…just a little further…" Terrador directed Zephra as he covered her eyes and escorted the dragoness under the waterfall without letting her get wet. Zephra had been told by Terrador not ten minutes earlier that he had a surprise for her, and even though they hadn't been a couple for very long, she was already excited as to what it was. Terrador used his rock bending skill to makeshift a rock arch over the waterfall, which allowed access to the secret cave with having to get wet, but still concealed it, as only an Earth dragon could open the entrance.

"Terrador…I've had my eyes closed since we took off in Warfang…can I please open them now?" She was trembling with anticipation, but her heart was ripping through her chest with sheer joy at the same time.

"No…not yet…almost…" Terrador said and brought her to the center of the main room of the cave, he then stopped her, and looked around to make sure everything was set for the big surprise. "Okay…wait right here…no peeking…" Terrador ran to a corner and warped a crystal into view, he then placed it under a small beam of light that was entering the cavern through a crack leading outside, and the refraction bounced off of dozens of crystals placed around the home, it was a natural and most certainly beautiful light. Zephra saw the area light up through her eye lids, and her face light up as well.

"How about now…?" She really couldn't wait anymore, she was too shaky.

"Alright…now…"

And Zephra opened her eyes; she'd ne'er seen so many wonders at once. The crystal refracting light was bouncing from crystal to crystal all through the entire complex of small cave passages and rooms. It was literally a whole underground living based, built for and designed by Terrador. What truly amazed her was that she knew he'd never done this kind of thing before, so the architecture was almost flawless in every room and cranny. She walked into a another room after looking around the main one which contained a bed, the main crystal, a small flow of water coming in from the crack above, and in the next room she saw training dummies and a small pool, big enough for her, and it was filled with steaming water. She assumed it was some kind of natural hot spring. She gasped at the marvelous gift she had received, a full in working cave with living space, training space, all the earth she could ever want, and she still was blushing at the fact that he included a hot spring! Who does that for anyone? Zephra didn't know, but she was speechless, and she ever felt tears coming onto her.

"Terrador…how did you…?"

"It was my old hideout as a child. Naturally, it wasn't this big though; I was forced to…extend it a little, including this room and the one over there. I guess it doesn't matter though…it's got everything a dragoness like you would need…" Terrador was always modest, but this time, he just had to say something. "I think I did a good job on this place…do you…like it?" He had to ask, but it was a fool's questioned.

"I don't just like Terrador…I more than love it! I…I…just don't know what to say…is this really all for me?" She had a few tears start to fall, but she wiped them away, she didn't want Terrador to see her crying.

"Yes it is…I saw what kind of home you were living in and…well…it made me feel sorry for you. So, after the wonderful night we shared that evening, I was inspired to do something nice for you. Besides, I don't use this old place anymore anyway, so it's all yours."

"Oh Terrador…it's fit for a queen." And she turned around and put on claw around his neck and hugged him. He put his wings around her and hugged back. "I can't believe it…this is the most kind, generous thing anyone has ever done for me. You are the greatest Earth I've ever known." She said this without pulling away.

"I'm glad you like your new home…I hope we can bring some stuff from your old one so you can make it more homey. I wouldn't want you missing anything." Terrador realized everything he was saying, he did something incredibly nice for someone else, he was talking all softly, and he was hugging a female dragon who he had kissed before, and was honestly saying he was growing to love. It was all fast, and he felt it too, and his deep fears were coming back to him. "Well…" He said pulling out of the hug, "We'll take care of that in the morning won't we…? I'll leave you to your first night here…" And he started to walk out towards the arch. Zephra turned around and climbed up on her new bed, it was extremely soft and cushy.

"Wait…" She said and extended her offerings to him, to which he responded by turning around and listening. "Will you…stay with me tonight? You made this place…you deserve to stay here too."

"Zephra…I made this place for one…now two. If I stayed, there'd be no room."

"Sure there will, just give it a try. What's the harm?" She said and smiled at him, to which he knew that if he said 'no' he'd upset her and give her the impression he didn't want to stay. Truth being, he did, so long as Zephra was here, he'd stay.

Giving in to his female companion's call, he sighed with a smile on his face and walked back over to her. He tilted his head like he didn't know what to do, but Zephra just gestured for him to get on the bed with her, not in any compromising positions, just simply next to her. He got up and heard the frame work creak, but laid down anyway and draped his wing over her body, which was cuddled next to his. Terrador couldn't lie to himself, this was a very uncomfortable position to be in. He actually didn't like it, but his heart was forcing him to stay, for it made Zephra happy. He knew this, for he watched her smile as she slowly drifted off into a realm of joy and visions, the realm of sleep, and he laid his head down next to hers, in his mind, he wanted to go, but in his heart, he kept saying he could get used to it, and maybe even learn to like it.

However, all was not so well of in the home of Cyril. The night had enveloped the land, his mind was set, and his own sweet dreams turned to nightmares. Following a slight recovery in the time of day when the city was most active, Cyril was able to move himself and managed to get back home with time to spare, even though it wasn't much time. He had gone inside and went straight to bed, although he didn't try to fall asleep at first, and now that he had he was beginning to see why. His mind pictured a young dragoness, in her own home, crying and crying, the tears turning into ice and flying at him fast. Each one cut him somewhere new, the head, the chest, the arm, the wing, the heart even, and they all hurt worse than the last one. The pain wasn't real, but Cyril's mind couldn't decipher that, he felt as if he deserved the pain, that's why he didn't tell himself that the image and the volley was only a dream, a terrible, horrid, rancid dream.

The Guardian sprung up with his head, the rest of his body shaking from the pain he thought he was feeling. He had been asleep, that was for sure, but no longer. He groaned and sighed at his actions, still being graded and bombarded by guilty thoughts. He stood up and made a sludge towards the window, and he saw it was still dark out, not even a trace of light. It was good enough, he'd rather go out there than face his inner demons in here. And so he flew, he picked up what little inner power he had and flew. Out the window, descending to the ground, and then a smooth landing; his claws tinked at they hit the stone ground of Warfang's street way. He had nowhere to go, so he simply walked around the sidewalk around buildings and other places.

During the walk, he passed a building with a light on in one of its windows. Cyril paid no attention at first, until he heard two creatures inside scream, but it was no scream of pain. He turned towards the window and saw the two figures move in front of the window, but he couldn't see what they were, no hear what they said. He watched them kiss, and the light went out. He could only assume the scream was from something much different, something that would put a child in their future, whoever they were. Cyril turned and kept walking away, his mind thumping. _It's been shown that to find a mate, you must be able to show them they are special, and to always treat them with a level of emotions that's new to everyone, including yourself. That way, if you make a mistake, you learn, and the other can see it through you. That is what it takes, that's all it takes, no smooth moves, no whims, to persuasion or arranged marriages. But if that's what it takes…it's already been shown I don't have that…_And he continued walking around aimlessly until the sky started showing cracks and fragments of the coming dawn.

**I would've updated three days ago, but school work got in the way and I had to read a book, write eight different journals, three blogs, and one project! But I don't care, I'm back a lot sooner than last time and I'm still trying to incorporate good relationship messages within the story. Sorry for any grammar mistakes, but I don't know when I'll get another chance to write, so I'll upload now and edit later. Enjoy everything, and I hope you're all happy I updated so much sooner this time!**


	7. Pyromania

**I can assure that at least some of you guys are feeling sorry for Cyril, well guess what? You have no reason to be! If Terrador can find happiness in Zephra, than why can't Cyril find a good dragoness to share his life too? In fact, what if it was the last kind of dragoness he expected to fall for…?**

Age of Life

Chapter 7

Pyromania

The Guardian of Ice was about as cold on the inside as he was on the outside. There's an old expression that says "When we hit our lowest point, we are opened to our greatest change", but this wasn't the case for Cyril. No matter how much he tried not to think about it, every time he pictured what that sorry, heartbroken dragoness' face looked like after he crushed her heart, it only made his face get more drained as each new image of possibilities flashed before his each. After seeing the couple in the building, at the start of his walk, share their love for one another in the form of mating, Cyril was pounded continuously by thought after thought of what the future held for him. In his thoughts, he was thinking that it was possible for him to wind up in that situation someday, but in order to do so, one must first find the right mate, and falling magically in love. This was something Cyril had never done, or even thought about doing, it was obvious that in his head, he was his own worst enemy. His conscience was his own worst enemy on the battlefield of romance. For the rest of the walk, he dreaded when a female would hit on him next, for he was sure he'd only make the same mistake, and break yet another female's heart.

Cyril knew not how long he had been walking around, but he saw the rays of dawn's light wrap around the city and over the walls like a mother putting a scarf on her child, and in his case, the morning sun seemed to glow a bright red. Usually, a red signals the Summer Solstice in the realm, but Cyril was sure his eyes were playing tricks on him, as it was still early Autumn in the city. He walked down the street, and the morning life was already beginning to show in the city. Lights in home were starting to turn on and shadows moved in the alleys. Moles and other dragons were moving about through the streets by foot or by some other means of transportation, and the waterways that flowed through the western reaches of the city were sparkling in the morning light. Normally, it would have been a good day, but Cyril just spread his wings and tore into the sky and bolted back towards his home in the higher areas of Warfang. As he flew, he left himself be carried on the early morning winds, and even though it was refreshing, he still felt spoiled on the inside.

He touched down in front of his home, which was an actually house-like structure, not an apartment looking dwelling like Terrador had. Cyril sighed and walk up the stone pathway to his front door, he needed to try and get some sleep, for there was going to be a council meeting later that day. Once he reached his door, he was about to push it open when he heard a sniffle. His head instantly turned to the right, as if his brain was perfectly attuned to the noise. He walked along a small path extending from his door, and walked to the side of his home. And there, walking on the street, was a young looking dragoness, her head down, and shedding tears as she walked. After he questioned why she was there, she fell down on her side and wept endlessly. Cyril didn't know what was wrong, so he decide to try and ask for her to let him help. It was his duty as a Guardian. He slowly walked up to the dragoness, and seeing as she was laying in the shadow of his home, he couldn't see what color she was, or what she really even looked like at all. His words were kind, and his mind was clear, for he knew how not to speak to a lady now.

"Miss…?" He spoke quietly. He saw the face of the woman look up, but he couldn't see how it looked. He only heard a sniffle once more, and she waved her claws at him.

"Go away…" It wasn't a pleasant wave. It was a wave of dismissal, whoever she was, she didn't want help. "I just got dumped my fiancé, I don't want to talk to any dragons right now." And he saw her figure curl up into a ball and stay that way on the ground.

"You sound sick…let me help you…" He was right, her voice had a sorry, fluid tone, almost as if she spent too much time at the local tavern.

"I said go away…! I didn't ask for your help!" She yelled at him, but she didn't pick her head up. Cyril shook his head,

"But you need it…" He wasn't sure if it was how he said it, or what he said, but the dragoness simple stood up and kept her head down, not showing him her face, as if he could see it anyway.

"Fine…"

Cyril smiled, knowing this time, he'd be helping out a lady instead of hurting her. "My home is right here, follow me."

And with that Cyril walked around the wall and back to his front entrance with the female following him. He was pleased that she was trusting him, after all, as peaceful as this city was, a drunken dragoness was easy prey for just about any maniacal monster lurking in the nighttime. He walked into his home, but he never looked back, he figure that since the dragoness hadn't shown him her face, she'd like to keep it that way. He walked up the stairs to his room and opened the large door, and she walked inside, and looked around. The windows were only just starting to catch glimpses of light, so as Cyril watched her from the door to his room, he could only see the color of her scale on her upper foot. They were a gleaming Macintosh red, so Cyril concluded she was a fire dragon.

"You can stay here…" He said quietly, and she stopped looking around and stepped up onto the bed and curled up and laid down on her side. She saw Cyril watching her, and even though it was for safety, she told him sternly,

"Don't look at me…!" And Cyril jumped a little, but followed her request and turned his head away. Even though he still didn't know what she looked like, he was closing the door ready to go into the other room and rest up for the day, but stopped, he needed to know something else other than her element.

"Can I at least learn your name…?" He asked her in a gently, care-giving voice. The dragoness looked up from her curled up position, and she saw the caring look in his eyes. She, just like him, hadn't see his face due to the shadows in the house, so neither knew what the other looked like. However, through her oozy mind, and splitting headache, she managed to say,

"Tathria…what's your name?" Tathria, Cyril though that was a beautiful name. But her next question stunned him, and he only shook his head.

"Tathria…it would do you no good to know. Trust me…" And he closed the door and left her to her own. He walked to the spare bedroom in his home and was feeling rather conflicted. He was pleased he helped out a D.I.D. like any Guardian should, but was rather upset that she didn't trust him enough to tell him anything besides her name. He had also figured out her element on his own, she didn't even tell him that, and he still never saw her face. So that's all it was, Tathria the Fire Dragoness, and he knew nothing else.

The morning sun wasn't only cutting through Cyril's eyes, the sun was also creeping into Terrador and Zephra's cave in Avalar. The sun shone on the water, and it made the whole cave sparkle with the refracting light. One gleam in particular shined over Zephra's eye, and this made her stir and awake. She shot her head up and saw all the beautiful rays casting inside her home, and she nudged Terrador to get up and see them as well. "Hey…Terrador…get up!" She urged him, and nudged his head several times. He groaned and looked up to see her by his side, and even though he smiled, his gazed was instantly redirected to the lights inside the cave. "Look at this…!" Zephra exclaimed. Terrador chuckled and shook his head.

"I knew about this already Zephra. The water covering the entrance to this place redirects the sun's beams every few weeks. This isn't something I haven't seen before." Zephra was amazed that he knew about this, as to her it was amazing.

"Wow…I wish we could stay and look at it more." She was right, they did have prior attendances.

"Right, we have a meeting to attend to today. Which reminds me, I need to get Spyro and Cynder as well, they'll need to be here for this one. My dear…?" He said to her, and she turned to listen to his request, "Will you fly to the Council Hall and see if they've already gathered? I need to go and get Spyro and Cynder." But Zephra shook her head 'no'.

"Terrador, let me get them. You go to the meeting, I'd hate for you to get in trouble for being late." And with that, Terrador smiled and told her where Spyro and Cynder were living in the commons, and she took off through the waterfall, getting her whole body wet and waking her right up to fly. Terrador followed shortly after, also getting completely wet.

There were many representatives at the meeting that morning. Moles, cheetahs, and dragons weren't the only one there that day. There was a manweersmall and an atlawa attending as well, this meant that whatever this issue was today, it didn't just affect Warfang. Terrador had gotten to the Council Hall fast that he thought and he had a few spare moments to wait outside for Zephra and the other two. A few minutes prior to the last few members arriving, Terrador saw three dragon figures flying towards the Hall. He knew who they were as soon as they got close. Zephra touched down on the steps to the building with Spyro and Cynder on her left side. "Sorry I took so long my dear…" Zephra apologized, "I got a little lost." Spyro and Cynder didn't think she was tardy, but Spyro stepped up to Terrador.

"Terrador…what's wrong? We never have to attend two Council meetings in a row. What has happened?" But Terrador only shook his head.

"You won't like it young dragon, not in the least." The Earth dragon couldn't lie to the young one. Cynder approached the two of them and looked up to him.

"Hey, has anyone heard from Cyril?" Cynder asked, but no one answered, signaling a no.

"We should probably worry about the meeting first Cynder…" Terrador said, "Go on inside and take your places, we'll discuss Cyril in time." And Cynder walked inside with her head hanging low, and Spyro followed after her to comfort her, as both were still feeling down about not being able to help him. Terrador walked up to Zephra and she said to him,

"I'll head over to the library, meet me there after the meeting." She said, and Terrador nodded his head with a smiled on his face.

"Of course Zephra…" And she smiled too, and after a quick goodbye kiss, she flew off and Terrador turned around and went inside.

The meeting started, and Cyril hadn't shown up, but no one who knew him was surprised. The main governor of the city decided who would speak first, and he gave everyone's attention to a cheetah dressed in traditional hunter attire. "Please welcome Farshot from the Cheetah Village in Avalar. He has some grim news for us." And Farshot stood up and walked in the center of the room.

"Thank you…my fellow citizens of the realm…Malefor has been defeated, this we all know…but peace has yet to completely envelop our world. I regret to inform all of you that one of our scout patrols in Warfang has found a grublin colony that is alive and thriving. We all know what kind of danger grublins pose to our city, especially due to their ability to mass multiply like the insect pests they are. We as a village are not sure how to deal with this current situation, so we ask upon you all for assistance in eradicating this plague from our good land." His request was heard, and everyone seemed to instantly be in favor, but the governor silenced them.

"You call for aid is heard by us my friend…but what does the Purple Dragon himself have to say on this matter." And everyone looked at Spyro. He inhaled deeply and stepped out on the floor next to Farshot.

"I, as the Purple Dragon, value all life. I know when it is my place to take a life, or to spare one for that matter. A colony of grublins poses a great threat to us as a city, but we mustn't forget that grublins don't serve Malefor anymore. They're just normal creatures again, and to slaughter them for our own benefits would be inhuman. However, perhaps, if possible, we could find a way to block off there passageway…" Spyro was interrupted by a loud clank noise coming from behind him, everyone turned and faced the door and saw Cyril walk through it. He looked a lot better, almost as if nothing had happened the day before. The governor cackled a bit at the sight.

"Councilman Cyril, Guardian of Ice, how nice of you to join us…" Cyril bowed his head in respect.

"My pardons comrades…I was side tracked…" And he flew up to his chair with the other two Guardians and sat down, joining back in. Before Spyro continued, Terrador leaned over and whispered.

"Side tracked…? Why are you late…?" But Cyril shook his head.

"My business is my own my friend, and it shall stay that way." Taking the hint Cyril was giving him, Terrador dropped the subject and continued listening to Spyro.

"As I was saying…" Spyro proceeded. "If we could find a way to sever their pathways to the city, we can drive them away humanely, and have easier minds about the whole matter." No one seemed too interested in his humane plan, but the governor put a halt to the discussion.

"Although I agree that everything alive deserves to be treated as so, we cannot risk the lives of an entire city for the sake of having a clean conscience. I say we evacuate all areas in the Valley until we come up with a solid plan to defeat these grublins, should they even strike at all. All in favor…?" To Spyro's disappointment, nearly the whole room raised their fore limbs, signaling their agreements. "It's settled then…" Spyro hung his head low, this wasn't what he wanted, it could start a war between the grublins and the dragons of Warfang, but the Council had spoken, there was nothing he could do.

"I'll oversee the evacuations myself…" Spyro said to everyone, and he turned around to walk out, wasting no time, Cynder followed after him and they took off towards Avalar once they were outside.

The meeting raged on for a few more hours with pointless domestic concerns, and just about everyone was sick of it by that point. Once the members began to disperse, Cyril was the first Guardian to leave the room and head outside to fly home. Volteer followed him and stopped him as he was about to start flapping. "Cyril…" And the ice dragon turned around to face his friend. "You seem different today, like something happened to you overnight. Is there something we should know about?" The 'we' referring to Volteer and Terrador.

"No…everything is perfectly alright. I am just, readjusting to the world after what happened. Please Volteer, respect my privacy." And he sprang up and flew home.

Once he arrived home, he walked up the stairs to his room where he had left Tathria to sleep that morning, and he easily knocked on the door. There was no answer, he knocked again, still nothing, so he pushed the door open gently to peer inside, but to his horror, there was no dragoness on the bed, and the window was exposed. Tathria had left, ran away from the kindness offered to her. Cyril started panic, his heart was thumping hard as he flew out the window as well to try and see if he could figure out what direction she had gone. He looked around, but saw dozens of red dragons, it'd be impossible to tell which one she was. He flew around the city with his heart exposed, constantly calling out her name to see if she's answer, but no one ever responded. He flew high up into the sky and looked down at the entire city, she was in there somewhere, but he'd never seen her face, finding her would be next to impossible. Forced to accept what the reality of the situation was, he felt himself grow cold and a tear formed in his eye. "She's gone…" He said to himself as his tear formed and fell to the ground like a raindrop.

Meanwhile, Spyro and Cynder had broken the news to Chief Prowlus about the grublin colony evacuation, and even though he was reluctant to pick up and leave, he wouldn't risk the lives of his people for his headstrong attitude. While assisting several cheetahs with their goods, Spyro noticed Hunter in the distance walking out of one of the larger huts in the village. Smiling, he looked at the family he was helping. "I'll send someone for these things, there's someone I have to meet up with." The father nodded his head and bowed in respect, Spyro smiled and bowed back and walked away towards the hut where Cynder was with Chief Prowlus. "Cynder…" He said walking, and both of them looked at Spyro, "Guess who's here…?" Cynder smiled and jumped up, and Prowlus excused her from his presence. They both trotted over to the hut where Hunter was, and he heard them coming without even looking behind him.

"Spyro…Cynder…" He said and then turned around, "I didn't know the two of you were overseeing this."

"I offered my services…" Spyro told him. "I don't trust the Council to see that this gets done right on their own. They'll need my help." Hunter laughed after Spyro's, very true statement.

"Indeed, they'll need your help." Just then a bump was heard inside Hunter's hut, and since it was covered with animal skins, they couldn't see who it was.

"Hunter…" Cynder began, "You have a guest?" She asked politely, and Hunter smiled at her.

"I do…it's an old friend of mine" He then stuck his head through the doorway and they heard him say. "Why don't you come meet these two…?" And then he backed away, and from the door came an average sized yellow dragoness. Both Spyro and Cynder were in awe at the dragon that stood before them.

"You're friends with an electric dragon?" Cynder asked him. But he shook his head.

"No, I'm friends with an electric dragoness…right?" He said the last part to the adult dragon standing in front of them all.

"Quite…Hunter…you never told me you were friends with the Purple Dragon. That's a high honor…" She said and bowed her head to Spyro. "Call me Destry, Storm Class." Spyro and Cynder both bowed back.

"I'm Spyro…and this is my mate-to-be…Cynder." And Cynder smiled up at Destry.

"It's good to meet you." Cynder said happily that she got to meet one of Hunter's other friends.

"You too…" Destry said.

**Wow, two new dragonesses in one chapter? You guys must think I'm crazy! But I'm not, if you think I'm crazy, then you are the one who's crazy! Nah, just kidding! See you all later! **


	8. Vath kuo Sokk

**I certain question has been brought to my attention that I never fully explained. This question was asked by a loyal reader:**

**Viperwatcher Asks: Storm Class? What's with the class?**

**Well, I looked back over everything, and you're right, I never got around to explaining the class system in this story. I'll get into it later, all classes are first decided by several factors, such as speed, strength, and ability to think on your feet. **

**For example: Zephra was classified as Deadly Class, and Destry was classified as Storm Class, Deadly and Storm are similar, but not the same, I'll explain this in depth in the chapter…**

Age of Life

Chapter 8

Vath kuo Sokk

Days went by, and then weeks and then months passed. By then, everything had settled down enough in Warfang for everything to feel at ease. Spyro and Cynder's plan for a new temple was approved by the council, and construction was put in place immediately. Many fine builders, among dragon, mole, and cheetah kin alike worked effortlessly through the rest of the autumn and winter, and work continued through the spring and earlier into the new summer. The temple was nearing completion, and many young dragons had already signed their hatching and younger students to attend the new school. Spyro and Cynder themselves had volunteered to be the teachers of the classes, mainly Spyro however. But building the new temple was no easy task for any of the workers, especially Spyro, for it was to be a replacement for the temple they had all lost when Malefor was defeated. After he was beaten, the old temple lost its force that was keeping it suspended up in the air above the volcano, to which it then fell thousands of feet to the ground, and gravity crushed it as it made contact. Every dragon in Warfang was forced to watch their beloved temple shatter against the volcanic base of the earth, and each heart broke a little at the sight.

The construction of the new temple/school wasn't the only thing that had taken massive leaps over the last several months. During the three seasons between Tathria's disappearance and the construction of the school, Terrador and Zephra have been growing closer and closer. The two were nearly calling each other their loves on a daily basis, and had barely ever fought about anything. Terrador was still in denial that his first true relationship had gone so well, and he was enjoying every moment spent with his strong, proud dragoness. Zephra shared the feelings, growing up as a Deadly Class dragon in school and somehow having fate pair her with a Terra Class brute like Terrador, it just seemed like a huge setup. On occasion, the two spoke of settling down, but each conversation on the topic was brief, as neither was fully prepared to commit to starting a family. Not only that, Terrador was still frightened of whenever he got into intimate situations, why…? Even Zephra couldn't figure it out.

Not all was as bright and hopeful as Spyro and Cynder's new school and Terrador and Zephra's relationship. Cyril, now recognized as Hailstorm Class, was still on the ropes, and his thoughts were still devoured by Tathria, the young fire dragoness that had run away from him without saying goodbye. Time and time again he searched for her, and over and over he called her name, but he never got and an answer. Soon, he stopped calling her name, and he just simply searched and searched, but to no avail. The days grew longer without her, and he couldn't figure out why he was always thinking about her and worrying for her safety. By and by, he also never told anyone that he had given her sanctuary in his home on that faithful morning. After every meeting and during all of his free time, he'd go out and look, hoping to catch a glimpse of what she really looked like, but he never found a thing. Yet, through all the disappointment he always felt, he never gave up, through the cold snow of winter, and through the cool breezes of the passing spring, and even now, into the new summer, he was always looking, never to give up on her.

A few hours before the official grand opening of the new temple, a meeting was called to address the school systems now that the city had a universal elemental training program available to all. Many claims from small schools were made saying that they would be run out of business, but Spyro assured that the temple would solely be used as a starting school for younger dragons just starting to learn their elements, and then they'd be shipped off to other school specific to their element throughout the city. It was a short, and less pleasant meeting for everyone to go through, as the issue of the grublin colony in Avalar was still being brought up, even after months of inactivity. The Council held firm, and after the erection of the temple, Spyro had officially earned his Council Chair as The Purple Dragon, and the Guardians were so proud of him. From that point on, any law or act instructed to be affecting Warfang or any other domain nearby in the realm, they had to have the Purple Dragon's permission, or at least his notification. In a way, one could describe him as a True Purple Dragon, and at only 14, nearly 15 years old.

The dragons had met with the moles, and everything was set, Spyro sat upon his chair in the Council Hall above the three Guardians, and Destry was in the room speaking about her future plans for her school. "And so, it's my advice to the Council that we only permit the use of our elemental abilities inside the walls of a school. My students excel at everything that they are taught, and some of them get far out of claw for their own good. Using such arts outside of the classroom could be dangerous, as the dragon's classes aren't decided until they graduate from the basics." She made her case, and the mole Governor looked to Spyro upon high.

"Councilman Spyro…what is your take on this…?" Everyone turned to the young dragon.

"The gift to manipulate the elements in a gift that all dragons have, and some are better at it than others, the Guardians you see before you are such examples…in fact our own Cyril, current Guardian of the Element of Ice is of Hailstorm Class, one of the rarer and more powerful classes of Ice. But he didn't get that way by being restrained to the schoolyard. I agree that children who are still learning to control their element can be wild and unpredictable, but a limit on elemental control seems ridiculous to me and I'm sure most of you. Precautions will be put into place for safety, but I pass down this wisdom…forcibly holding back a young ones potential is a risky move. I would not pass such laws." If Spyro said it, it was the words of the gods, so it was unanimous. The vote was passed, and no such rules were implied.

Destry grunted at the Council's brush decision, she thought that Spyro had made a big mistake but disagreeing with her, but she, as a dragon, held high respects for the Purple Dragon, and so she must listen and oblige to his will. She sighed and hung her head, but her claim was met with tragic results. Now she would have to work around the sun to keep her young students contained. She didn't know if she was up for the challenge, but she guessed that she'd have to if she wanted to keep her job as one of the teacher of her school. Cyril was paying attention to the entire meeting, and he had to agree with Spyro, as there hadn't even been a vote, after Spyro indirectly said 'no', everyone in the room simultaneously agreed without saying anything. Cyril actually was glad that this meeting was so short, because he was planning on spending the afternoon flying around looking for Tathria again, but first he needed to have a word with Destry. He spread his wings as the entire Hall began to get up and leave, and he glided down to the floor and called out for the Electric dragoness as she turned to leave.

"Miss Destry…!" He called to her, for he had learned a few manners when speaking to ladies since Tathria. After his summon, she turned around to him.

"Yes Councilman Cyril…?" She said formally, respecting his Guardian status and as a member of the city Council.

"I would like to commend you on your bravery for speaking out for your beliefs to this Council. I can assure you that we get a lot of public speakers in here that get stage fright and wind up not saying anything." He gave her his compliments, and she smiled at them.

"Well they must've not had the right reasons if they couldn't talk to you. If your confident in what you're saying, the words will just flow, and you'll have nothing to worry about." She said with the same confidence as before. Cyril nodded his head in approval, she was right, with the right reasons and truth behind your words, you could say anything in front of anyone.

"I agree with you miss…I…" He was going to continue when he noticed that her eye had a glimmer to them, something that he had also seen in Tathria's scales on the morning her gave her a claw. He shook his head and remembered what he was to be doing. "I must excuse myself Miss Destry, I have prior engagements…" And the dragoness nodded her head, and then she turned and walked away. Cyril spread his wings once more and flew up into the Hall and out the window over where Spyro's chair was. And just like that, he was off to search once more, after almost a year of coming up short every time.

As Destry walked out of the building and down the stairs, Volteer followed and noticed her yellow figure in front of him, he figured that this was a chance to speak with another Electric Master. He stole the opportunity and ran down after her, he said her name towards her, and she turned around. "Good day Mistress…" But Destry picked up her claw to her chest, she was flattered by the attention.

"I should count myself lucky, two Guardians speaking to me, one right after another. I hope you have something interesting to say as well Councilman Volteer." Volteer grinned at her.

"Well I did see Cyril having a small chat with you, but he's always going out into the city during his free time like that. You know he's been doing that for months now?" But Destry only giggled.

"I didn't know you were here to gossip about the other Guardians." And she covered her mouth as she chuckled. Volteer smirked at her, that's not what he was getting at at all.

"Pardons Miss, I just wanted to ask you about your training methods. I've never had a full length conversation with another Electric master, let alone an Electric mistress, and to put it simply, I wish to see how you train your students and possibly learn a thing or two from you and your ways." Destry was taken aback by Volteer's request, she had never been asked this sort of thing before.

"Well…" She wasn't sure how to respond, "I suppose if you'd like, you could come to my personal school next week and observe. I'm sure that my students wouldn't mind. They'd be thrilled to meet the Guardian of Electricity." She said all of this with a smile, it was a high honor for her. "Would that work for you?"

"Yes, that would work very well Mistress Destry, I'll be looking forward to the day. You may decide on a day specifically and get back to me. Aside from a few extra meetings with this Council, I have nothing to do over the next week, you may summon me whenever." And he nodded his head and gave her his wishes and left.

Destry felt very excited about this, she had never had a guest in her school before. She got to thinking that maybe he could even try guest teaching her class too. After all, as of right now, only Spyro had the honor of being trained by the Guardians, all four, not just one. Being given any advice any Guardian, regardless of element was a dream come true for all young dragon. This was the proven facts of any young dragon's training, and even though Destry hadn't been trained by Volteer or the previous Guardian of Electricity, she still was a gifted dragon; after all, Storm Class was a rare class indeed.

A few hours later, all the citizens of Warfang were at the site of the new temple and its grand opening. The whole city was buzzing like insects, and its creators, Spyro, the mighty Purple Dragon, and his betrothed soon-to-be mate, Cynder, formerly the Terror of the Skies, both stood proudly on the steps leading up into the front doors. The children, even those who weren't dragon kin, clapped their hands and hollered, eager to see the inside of the new temple. Spyro wasn't smiling, he was just looking over the massive crowd, he didn't know what facial expression was appropriate, so he just stood with Cynder by his side and they stole a look at each other. He continued to gaze, and in the crowd, he spotted Zephra, her emerald eyes smiling up at the young couple. Spyro finally then smiled to her, and he waved his claws to her, and she saw and spread her wings in respect, and nodded her head. Cynder knew that everyone was cheering for Spyro, not her, but it didn't matter to her, she was there to be with Spyro, whether the crowd accepted her was unimportant. The doors had yet to be officially opened, they were waiting for the Guardians to make their appearance and share their thoughts.

It was only a few more minutes of waiting before the three different colored dragons flew overhead and landed behind Spyro and Cynder, Sparx was also by his friend's side. They all touched down and stood proudly as any of the Guardians should, and the cheering erupted even further. Spyro stepped forward to the end of the steps, and silenced the crowd with a motion from his claws. "This school…has been made in memory of the fourth Guardian, the Guardian of Fire…Ignitus…may the ancestors watch over him, wherever he is. A moment of silence please for our fallen Guardian…" And the whole city hushed for that brief moment. Then, Spyro picked his head up. "Over the course of the time I knew him, he taught me everything that I know about the usage and manipulation of Fire, an element that can be wild and hard to control, but with the knowledge he's passed down to me, I know that I can teach his methods, and push them further. I personally will be teaching all elemental classes to start until we start getting more teachers, for we have dozens of rooms for all kinds of training. My betrothed, Cynder, will teach young students about the Darker Arts, and why they should never be used. I realized that teaching children about the Evils in this world is a risk, but I will trust their better judgment to determine right from wrong. The temple opens now, but no classes will be officially held until next week. This is because we must sort out all the sign ups and trainees; but I promise everything will be ready to go soon. And now, before all of you, I present to you, the new temple, the new school and hope for all of the young dragons of Warfang. I give you…Vath kuo Sokk!" And the Cynder turned around and flew up and blasted the thick wooden door open with her Wind abilities.

That was it, the temple was finally open, and now, Spyro and Cynder, along with the Guardians accepted all the congratulations from the people in the audience, and then headed inside to the main, and private room with the new Pool of Visions. The room that contained the Pool was at the very top of Vath, for no young dragon would be permitted to look into it, it may have bad consequences. Once everyone was situated in their respective spots, with every Guardian under their elemental flag, just like they had in the old temple, and Spyro sat in the place of Ignitus under the Fire flag, the first official talk of the Order began. "I must say, I was worried that would go on for longer than it did, but if I'm to be honest, the faster the better. We have many things to do before next week when the students start coming in. First off, I have decided to keep the Ancient Class System, it's a homage to our heritage. Agreed…?" And everyone nodded their heads.

"Yes, indeed…" Terrador spoke out, "Does this mean that as a True Purple Dragon, you have finally classified yourself?" The mighty dragon asked the young one.

"Yes…I have. After a thorough analysis of the charts and paths, I've determined my status. I'm Hearth Flash Class. Terrador, as your name suggests, you are Terra Class, Cyril, you are Hailstorm Class, and Volteer, you have been deemed Gyro Class. Are we all in agreement…?" And the three nodded their heads. "As we all know, the Class System has been used to determine a dragon's strengths and weakness' since the Ancestors were training the first Guardians, and we all know how they work. But, just for a reminder for the students, quiz me. Terrador, ask me about Earth classification…" Terrador nodded.

"How are the steps of Earth Classes first decided? They are first determined by what?"

"By what form of attack the young one uses. Either they rely more on ranged or melee attacks." Spyro responded. "This pattern is used for the beginning of all classifications."

"Good…" Terrador said, "Now break it down further. After the initial attack target, what determines the next step?"

"The methods they rely on to execute the attack. If they rely mostly on ranged attacks, they can deliver them using speed, my preferred method, strength, or intellect. Once it's realized, in my case speed, that is how they are selected into classes. If they are proficient in their deliverance, in Earth, for example, they'd be Sandstorm Class. However, if they are moderate and could use improvement, they are deemed Dust Class." Terrador nodded. Volteer stepped up next.

"What Class would a young dragon be if they were an Electric dragon that used melee attacks more, relied on strength to deliver strikes, and was good, but not excellent?" Volteer was rather straight forward. Spyro thought on it for a moment, but then confidently said,

"Magnet Class, and if they were excellent, they'd be Thunder Class. Cyril, one more about Ice…" Cyril nodded, and thought he'd give him a challenging one.

"Okay young dragon, what if there was a Purple Dragon who relied on Ice the most, used melee as an advantage, executed intelligence as their weapon, and was still working on their abilities?"

Spyro didn't think what Cyril just said was hard at all. "They would be Clear Frostfire Class. I should've mentioned that classifying a Purple Dragon starts with the element they use the most. Since I personally use Fire the most, my Class begins with Hearth. If I used Ice the most, I would start with Clear. If I used Earth, I would be Vale, and lastly, if I preferred Electricity, I would start with Generate. However, as I said, I rely most on Fire. That means I start with Hearth, and I mainly use ranged attacks. Like I said, my speed in my greatest ally, and you all know I'm advanced in manipulating Fire, therefore, I am indeed Hearth Flash Class." And everyone bowed their heads to Spyro. He had a clear mastery over the Ancient Class system.

"Commendable young dragon…" Terrador noted after he returned his head to the proper height. "I also like how you named the temple in the Ancient Language. Vath kuo Sokk…"

"Yes, I wanted to give it a name dragon kin would remember. Vath kuo Sokk…The Pillars of Hope…" Spyro said, satisfied with how the day went, and how it would go in the future after everything was worked out.

**I'll be posting the full Class System on my FanFiction page if you want to find out what Class your OC's or yourself would be. I already classified myself, and I'm Flash Class. Happy reading everyone, and enjoy the Grand Opening of Vath kuo Sokk! **


	9. Uncertain Flames

**An update is in order for all of you. I got a PM from someone saying about how predictable this story is becoming. I asked them how and they said this…**

**Anonymous: Well, it's clear that this Destry character is Volteer's love interest, and Cyril is totally going to find Tathria sooner or later. The only question is how? I mean, he's not just going to bump into her on the road while strolling through the city. I suggest you make their reunion interesting and heartfelt unless you want to lose readers.**

**Well my friend, you've clearly never read my stories before. If there's one thing that I'm not, it's predictable. You are assuming, and that is a poor choice of action to take while going through life. I assure you, you are the only one who is thinking that this story is predictable. So I dedicate this chapter to you, just as a friendly act to teach a lesson to all of those who assume too much.**

Age of Life

Chapter 9

Uncertain Flames

It wasn't just a few days after the grand opening of the new temple that the Guardians were invited to become teachers for the younger students. Spyro and Cynder had grossly underestimated the amount of students that had signed up to go to the school and train; the sheer number of young dragons running around in each individual room blasting fire, ice, electricity, and earth was enough to make both of them spin their tails and collapse. Spyro may have been the Purple Dragon, but even he couldn't handle an entire building full of students running wild as if it was a giant playground. It wasn't long before the first lesson Spyro taught to his learners was changed to from basic elemental knowledge to respect for the sacred ground that they were running wild in. Of course, as young dragons, they cared not for this and usually never listened anyway. The evidence was inevitable, and quickly many creatures, not just the Guardians, volunteered to help out within the temple walls. Cyril took over the Ice courses, Terrador took over the Earth training and melee combat classes, Volteer handled tactical knowledge and Electricity fighting, and Spyro acted as Headmaster of the temple and taught all the advanced sessions.

Everyone had their own individual part to play running the school, and while Spyro and the Guardians dealt with the basic elements, Cynder took it upon herself to set up courses to inform and demonstrate the darker arts. It was something that no other dragons could do, but due to Cynder's exposure to the blacker side of nature, she was able to effectively show the students what the evil magic look like. Her class was discouraged by parents very quickly, not even a few days. The parents complained that their children shouldn't be exposed to such violent forms of elements, but Spyro argued that lessons on the darker arts of magic were needed to fight back against them, should they ever need to. Everyone only hoped that they'd never have to; everyone in particular being the Guardians and the parents.

A lot of things happened rapidly over the course of those few days leading up to Volteer's audience with Destry in her school. It had been the previous week that she had invited him to observe her class, and since then, the school opened, the Guardians began teaching again, and Spyro even invited them to live there, that way everything could be as it was. Not only that, but the Guardians actually accepted the invitation and moved into the temple with their belongings. Terrador and Zephra moved in together, and still slept next to each other every night. It was evident that the bond between them was nearing unbreakable, and everyone, especially Spyro and Cynder, knew that at this rate, after months of being together, it was only a matter of time before those two did something a little bit more than sleep together. Everyone was cheering for them, mentally of course, but Spyro and Cynder didn't have much time to worry about Terrador's love life, they were running a school now, and both agreed it was no easy task.

Evidently, Cyril, between breaks and on free nights, still sought out into the city to search for the dragoness that had been plaguing his mind since he had met her. There had still been no sign of the woman, it was almost as if she'd run off, or dropped out of the realm. He still didn't understand why she took up so much room in his mind. In fact, he thought about her so frequently, that sometimes, he would go mind-numb in the middle of a lesson and mumble her name in a daze. His students found this cute, especially the young girls, and they often teased him about it. Cyril however didn't enjoy it, and now he searched for her not so much because he cared anymore, it was more than that, now he needed to know why she was many a day on his mind, and clouding his judgment.

Volteer woke up very early on one specific day. His mind was overwhelmed with anxious thoughts and hopes, and his enthusiasm to get to Destry's school was wilder than his element. Volteer didn't have to worry about missing out on any classes because the school was built for younger dragons, meaning that it didn't open and start classes until the late morning. He'd had plenty of time to head over to Destry's miniature class and observe, and then make it back in time for the first sessions of the day. The dragon stretched out his limbs, mostly his wings, and shook himself down. Then he exited the building and began to fly on the smooth morning breezes towards the coordinates that Destry had given him a week earlier.

He set down in front of what looked like a middle class home with a courtyard in the middle of a U-shape house. Inside of the courtyard, he saw seven younger, yellow dragons, and one larger one in the front of them observing. He figured he was in the right place. He approached the group and one of the younger dragons stopped in their track and got huge eyes, not of wonder, of shock. The teacher noticed the sudden change in attitude on the one and made mention of it. "Avera…what's wrong?" Destry said to her student. The child only pointed with a claw behind them, and then everyone turned around to see Volteer, and everyone but Destry's jaws dropped. "Ah, Councilman Volteer…glad you could make it this morning." He joined her side and smiled as Destry faced her class and explained. "Volteer, as I'm sure you all know, is the Guardian of Electricity, and is here to watch us. He'll also be making mentally notes of our skills and performances." Out of the back of the class, a bigger dragon stepped up and said with much vanity,

"It's me right…?" Like a true snob he was, "He's here to take me as his personal protégé? I knew it…I knew I was too good for these losers…" As bulk as he was, what he had in muscle, he lacked in humility.

Destry and Volteer, and also just about everyone in the school looked at him with disappointment. "Uh…" Destry started, "No…he's not here for just you Haydrox." And the male backed back down, not seeming to care on the outside. "Volteer…if you will…?" And Volteer took a seat in the corner in front of the students and from then just observed.

Over the course of the class, he gave a few tips to Destry when he saw her make an error, or just to simply try and lend a claw. During one particular lesson with the Electric Cage technique, the students were practicing on target dummies, and Avera, the dragoness from before, was having a hard time aiming. Nothing Destry was telling Avera was working, so Volteer coughed unsubtly and got everyone attention. He then got up from his position in the corner and walked over to the two. He looked at Destry and tried to be as formal as possible. "I have your lead…?" And she nodded and backed away. Volteer then looked at Avera, she was a timid looking dragoness, and she was scared that she was about to be embarrassed. "I'm going to whisper something to you, and I want you to listen very carefully. Come with me…" And he led the pupil into a corner and leaned down to her, out of hearing distance and quiet enough. "Something that not many Electric dragons know is that we can feel the energy around us. It goes the same with Fire dragons and the heat around them, or the Earth dragon with the land around them. Few dragons know how to use this technique efficiently. I notice that you are relying far too much on how to use focus and precision to hit your target. In a real fight, you won't always be ready and focused, so you must be quick. Turn and face the dummy from here…" And Avera did so.

"But Sir, that's so far away, I'm still bad with ranged attacks from too far a distance. I'll never hit that." She complained, but Volteer smiled and chuckled.

"So you say…now listen carefully to me…okay?"

"Yes sir…" She said without question.

"Close your eyes…" And she did just that, "Take a deep breath, and clear your mind. All dragons who use Electricity can feel the flow of the energy around them. Spread your wings and feel the power that it gives you, all Electricity dragons can feel it, trained or not." Keeping her eyes closed, Avera raised her wings up high and inhaled deeply. In a flash, a tingling zap of force started vibrating against her wings, and it made its way through her back and into the rest of her body. "Good Avera, now…use this feeling, this power within you…the energy knows where the target is, your internal force can guide it there, all you need to do…is strike…" With that, Avera opened her eyes swiftly and let loose a jolt of electricity that flew in the direction of the battle dummy, hitting dead on and shattering it. The dragoness seemed in awe of what she had just done, and her classmates were equally surprised. They all cheered for her and they all gathered up around her to give her there great regards. Volteer left them alone and walked over to Destry.

"My…my…" Destry said in appreciation, "I don't know how you did it, but I could never figure out a way to help her. She always missed those shots. But…I think that she'll have a firm grip on them now. Thank you Volteer."

"It was nothing Miss Destry. She was just unrefined, a little more training, and I see great things in her future. Haydrox however, he has a very long way to go. I wasn't unlike Avera while I was in training. She has some great potential…perhaps even Gyro Class such as myself." Destry was truly inspired by his teachings. They were so easy going and calm, it was definitely a lesson that she'd be due to learn.

"Perhaps…maybe even certainly; but I think that she is good with me. I'll show her all I know, and when you come back with your students, you'll be impressed." Volteer turned to her with a raised eyelid.

"Is that a challenge?" He said with anticipation.

"What gave you the hint?" Destry eagerly said, "There's city-wide tournament coming up in a few weeks, and I'll pin my students against yours. What do you say to that…?" She wasn't being disrespectful, just playful, some friendly competition if you will.

Volteer thought that he'd have a little extra bidding going on here, and decided to add one last thing to this deal. "I accept, and if I win, you must tell me how you truly feel about me. Not as a Guardian, as a dragon, as a male…" Destry saw what he was getting at, and she was already guilty.

"Done…" She agreed and nodded her head.

"I'll be seeing you then…" And Volteer flew away, already knowing fully well that Destry liked him, not as a friend, as something a little bit more.

Those few weeks in-between that small meeting between the Master and Mistress were elongated in the mind of Cyril. Volteer had something to look forward to when the weeks were over, Cyril however, did not. The days of his life dragged on, and due to his inner confusion and throbbing heartache, his mind rendered him unable to teach more than a few lessons a day, some of which wound up being less than satisfactory than the other Guardians. He had recently become unable to fly around and search for Tathria, and instead he laid in bed, and tried to rest. He hadn't been a teacher in a long time, and juggling that plus his constant afternoon searches more than fatigued him.

By that time, the tournament was the following day, but the day was still young, not even noon, and Cyril was out for a stroll, not a casual stroll; it was more along the line of something that he desperately needed to clear his mind and regain focus on life. He'd also need the energy and focus for a courtship ritual that was to take place later in the day. As the Guardian of Ice, he was expected to attend, as the groom in the ritual was an Ice dragon named Syciry. He'd been told no other information other than that and the location of the happening. At first, he was unsure if he'd be able to attend, but the day was looking up and his head wasn't pounding mental exhaustion.

The sun was at its highest point in the realm when Cyril walked into the open courtyard where the ritual was going to take place. The area was most certainly going to be the host of the event, as blue and red flowers lined the walls and altar. There were many other creatures gathered, mostly dragons, older ones at that. It was clear that this was a big event for both sides of the family, and everyone seemed overjoyed about. Oddly enough, there were no children present. **A/N: (For those of you who are wondering, no, it's not a wedding. In the Spyro Universe, in order for a couple to become mates, they must mate with each other. A courtship ritual is used to show everyone that they want to become mates.) **

Cyril was trained well to sense that something was wrong with the setting. The people seemed happy, and he spied the groom from afar, a big, muscular Ice dragon with a massive smile on his face, and the day couldn't have been a better choice. The sun was shining, there were no signs of rain, not a cloud in sight, and the temperature was warm, but not hot. His inner suspicions were confirmed when he heard a conversation out of the corner of his ear. He listened in carefully, as he may be able to help out.

"What's the issue…?" He heard an elderly dragon say.

"She's refusing to go through with the ritual, and I can't talk her out of it! She absolutely won't do it!" This caught Cyril attention, as he wondered why anyone would start to have second thoughts this far into a ceremony like this.

"Has anyone else tried? Perhaps someone else would know best." The old dragon said, Cyril assumed that it was the bride's father.

"No, I've tried, her Grandmother's tried, her Aunt, Uncle, friends…and Syciry doesn't even know!" He concluded the frantic dragoness was the bride's mother. Hearing enough, he stepped over to them, and they took notice of his presence immediately.

Cyril tried to be friendly, but they took to his Guardian status right away with all the formalities. "Councilman Cyril, Guardian of Ice…thank you for attending this ritual. I hope everything goes according to plan and you have a wonderful time." The father said this, but Cyril saw right through it.

"I know about the issue with the bride…" The look on their faces after he said that spelled their inner defeat. Cyril, however, picked them back up. "Take me to her, I wish to speak with the bride."

Not doing anything to dishonor the Guardian, they immediately gave him his wish and they took him to the back area with a concealed dragoness hiding her face from the three. "That's her…" The mother said, pointed to the hidden dragoness with a tradition vale and bracers on.

"Thank you…leave us…" And they left. As Cyril approached the woman, he noticed that the scale she had were red, a bright, strong red. The bride was clearly a Fire dragoness, which reminded Cyril of his own Fire dragoness, but he wasn't going to start thinking about her. "Miss…?" He said softly to her, to which she huffed and didn't turn around. "My name is Cyril…the Guardian. I understand that you are conflicted at this time. Do you wish to speak to a neutral party about it?"

"No…" Was all she said. It was a very rude, brush 'no', as if she paid no regard to the fact that he was a Guardian. Cyril didn't take it personally.

"Why…?" He decided to be direct. "Why are you having second thought about becoming mates with this…Syciry fellow?" He asked again nicely. But this time however, the dragoness stood up and turned around with a grim face. She slowly moved towards Cyril, and Cyril thought that she was completely vibrant, Syciry was a very lucky dragon.

"'Why' you ask…?" And Cyril nodded, "Have you ever heard of an arranged marriage?" And Cyril nodded. "That's exactly what this is! I'll admit, this Syciry is a great dragon, and any dragoness would count themselves lucky to have him, but I just can't do this ritual with him. He already broke things off with me a while back, and then suddenly the next day he wants me back. Then after hearing about it our parents arrange all of this over the course of nearly a year…it's just all too much…" After her long rant, the last bit she said drastically decreased, as if her mind and heart gave out to her sorrow. "I just can't do it Cyril…" Cyril was still being supportive, and he wouldn't dare convince her to go either way.

"Why miss…? There's always a reason…and you definitely have one, you're just not telling me." The fire dragon dropped her head, but she still seemed like she refused to admit what her true purpose was for calling off the ritual. Cyril waited patiently, and after a short while, and a few tears, the dragoness rose her head back up and looked right at Cyril.

"Because…I think I'm in love with someone else…" The classic reason, nothing out of the ordinary here, "I mean, he was nicer to me than any male I've met before. Ever since I had that meeting with him I've never been able to take my mind off of his kindness. It's like his influence just…stamped my mind permanently." Cyril listened closely, he was interested in the story. It struck him most as the way that she was speaking about the male that she met. She sounded so sure and calm, but yet saddened and depressed. The tone of her voice made it sound like whenever she spoke of this dragon, her mind drifted into a blissful daydream of serenity and euphoria. "But there's really no point is there…?" She said suddenly. "I have no chances of seeing him again. I don't know his name, where he lives, what he looks like…I don't even remember what he sounds like." Cyril felt sorry for her. He had suffered the same with Tathria, he knew her name, but nothing else. He had forgotten her voice, and now she was foreign to him.

"I know the pain of someone leaving that you care for Miss…and I shall not sway you either way, but my wisdom is this…don't make a decision that you'll regret." She looked at him after he said that. Her eyes dampened, and she panted, like she was trying to get by a mental block.

"You're right…I'll never see him again anyway, and I'll have a good life with Syciry, he truly cares for me. If I spend my day living alone searching for a man I have no leads on, I'll die by myself thinking about a guy that, by this point, probably has found another girl, maybe even has a family." Cyril saw her pain, there was no way that her heart was saying on this, it was her mind. "I need to court with Syciry, it's the best thing for me right now…" And she looked at Cyril. "Thank you Councilman Cyril…you truly are a Guardian…wise and true…" Cyril nodded and began to walk towards the entrance to the back area where she was, and her mother was waiting by the door.

"Well…?" She said in anticipation.

"She's ready…" And Cyril began to walk away towards the altar, but the call he heard stopped him dead, and made his heart colder than his strongest blast.

"Come on Tathria…you're groom awaits!"

"Coming Mother…" The dragoness said with melancholy, but she still couldn't move herself.

**Nothing much to say on my part, but surprise! Sorry for calling Anonymous out like that, I should've PM-ed you instead. I'll update sooner than this time I promise, but I am juggling two stories at once here. Next to come…are you pro Volteer x Destry, Cyril x Tathria, or Terrador x Zephra? Who's the cutest in your opinion?**


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